Strike action brought several schools to a standstill yesterday, just two days before the end of the academic year.

Dinner ladies, caretakers and secretarial staff from GMB, Unison and T&G Unions forced the closure of The Edgware School, Friern Barnet School and 22 primary schools.

More than 100 people gathered outside Hendon Town Hall and six official pickets formed across the borough demanding more than the offered three per cent pay rise and higher London weighting in line with the cost of living in the capital.

Street cleaner Darren Perry, 36, of Chapel Court, East Finchley, earns around £850 a month. He said: "If I had a family to support on my wages, I wouldn't be able to survive. I've been standing out here since 6.15am, because the situation is diabolical."