STAFF at Worcester Magistrates Court were among the thousands who went on strike for the first time in the service's 800-year history.

The wheels of justice ground to a halt in many courts across the country, with the one-day stoppage over pay resulting in some courts being closed and cases adjourned.

In Worcester, agency staff managed to keep some cases going, although these were mainly remand hearings and emergency protection orders.

A total of 47 people, made up of ushers, legal clerks and administration staff, all took action.

The Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS) said they were unhappy with a below-inflation increase of 2.2 per cent

But the Department for Constitutional Affairs said the average pay deal was worth 3.7 per cent.

One of those on strike, Mara Burrows, has been a court administrator at Worcester Magistrates Court for 12 years and earns £15,000.

She said: "We are the lowest paid in the civil service and yet we have big responsibilities. We are really pushed and we believe we deserve more money.

"The decision to strike was not taken lightly, but we have done what we set out to do - disrupt the courts."

Magistrates court staff were transferred to the civil service in April this year to create a new combined agency which runs magistrates, crown and county courts, called Her Majesty's Court Service.

The dispute also arises from a claimed failure to properly fund the start-up costs of the new agency.

A further strike is threatened for the New Year.

Mark Serwotka, PCS general secretary, said: "Members have grown increasingly angry over a pay deal that should have been settled months ago and felt compelled to take this historic step of strike action."

Overall, the PCS has more than 325,000 members in more than 200 departments and agencies. It is the UK's sixth largest union and is affiliated to the TUC.