There were no bin collections on Wednesday or yesterday as 8,500 Wakefield Council employees took action over a 2.45 per cent pay offer, which they said would cut earnings due to rises in living costs.

The strike was part of a national initiative organised by the public service union Unison.

And on Wednesday, Dave Prentice, the union's general secretary, spoke at a rally outside Wakefield County Hall.

Strike leaders said the action had been met with 'tremendous' support and had led to the recruitment of 1,000 new members in Wakefield.

Unison said with energy bills up by 15 per cent, petrol up 25 per cent and bread up nine per cent, many council staff could not make ends meet. But local government employers have refused to raise the offer, saying higher wages could lead to cuts in services.

During his speech in the city, Mr Prentice said the government could pay staff more, saying local authorities had made £6bn in efficiency savings in the past five years, £3bn of which had been left unallocated.

He said: "If we could get just 10 per cent of that then we could all have a five per cent pay rise."

Speaking afterwards, he said: "The level of support in Wakefield has been tremendous. I have never known, in 30 years, this level of support for this kind of action before."

Unison said the action had closed 80 schools and many markets, libraries and leisure centres across the council-controlled district.

Jan Parkinson, managing director of the Local Government Employers, said: "Any higher offer would have to be funded through increases in council tax or cuts to essential services.

"In the current difficult economic climate we do not believe it would be fair to add to people's burden."