Row over impact of civil service strike

The Public and Commercial Services union claimed more than 200,000 employees had walked out causing "widespread disruption" to services.

The union said court sittings were cancelled, job centres offered limited services, 2,000 driving tests were called off, passport appointments hit and border controls at ports and airports were disrupted.

But the Cabinet Office maintained that only 81,000 PCS members went on strike, adding that 85 per cent of civil servants were working normally.

Ministers said all job centres and benefits offices were open, border entry points were working normally and court services were being maintained, while HM Coastguard said only 15 staff of 1,227 were on strike.

Picket lines were mounted outside Government offices and the House of Commons – the first protest of its kind in a generation. The union said there had been "solid support" for the start of the 48-hour walkout protesting at cuts in redundancy pay.

At Bradford Crown Court, a case involving 20-year-old Muawaz Khalid and three teenagers charged with the murder of 63-year-old shopkeeper Gurmail Singh was affected by the strike. The case was brought forward and dealt with last Friday, where a plea and case management hearing was listed for June 18 and a provisional trial date set for August 31.