THOUSANDS of public sector workers added to the mounting industrial chaos in East Lancashire as they walked out of their jobs over pay issues.

This front page from January 1979, detailed the devastating effect a one day national strike had on disrupting schools, hospitals, bus services and town hall staff.

The walk-outs came on top of the crippling lorry drivers' dispute, and even more planned disruptions were on the horizon as threats of a further rail strike had been made for the following day.

In Blackburn, the strike by public service workers halted bin collections, burials, highways, sewerage and pest control work. Swimming baths, leisure centres, museums and art galleries were also shut down.

In Accrington, 60 Hyndburn council workers gathered outside the town hall and there were pickets on duty at some council premise.

The strike also closed markets in Blackburn and Accrington and motorists were hit as the roads had failed to be salted or gritted.

However, hospitals in the region reported that they were coping well despite the dispute.

At the time, there were warnings that the lorry drivers' strike could lead to lay-offs at East Lancashire firms.