Up to 1.5 million local government workers went on strike across Britain today, closing thousands of schools and disrupting travel in a growing row over pensions.
Eleven unions combined to stage the 24-hour protest, which they said would be the biggest UK strike since 1926.
They intend to make it the first in a series of demonstrations against a plan to force some public sector employees to work longer, or face a reduced pension if they retire at 60.
In Liverpool, commuters faced disruption as the Mersey river tunnels shut and ferries stopped running. All buses and trains were cancelled in Northern Ireland and in London 70 per cent of schools failed to open.
The Tower of London was also closed, and the river Thames anti-flood barrier saw its staff reduced to emergency levels.
At issue is the government's decision to scrap the so-called 85-year rule, which states that members of the Local Government Pension Scheme can retire at 60 on a full pension if their age and years of service add up to 85 or more.
The unions argue that other, better paid, public sector workers are still allowed to retire at 60 and that the law targets those in lower paid, more menial jobs.
The change is due to come into effect in October this year.