UK local government workers on strike

Thousands of council staff are striking over pay in their biggest campaign of industrial unrest for years, forcing schools to close and hitting services.

The Unison and Unite unions expect 600,000 workers in England, Wales and Northern Ireland to join the 48-hour action, which began at midnight.

The strike is also closing libraries and disrupting rubbish collections and other town hall services.

Council employers say they have reached the "limit of what is affordable".

Meanwhile, PCS union members, who include driving test examiners and coastguard control room staff, are also striking in a separate row.

Across Wales, one in three schools are closed, while a third of all households in Southampton will not have their rubbish collected this week.