Councils were this evening putting emergency contingency plans into place ahead of strike action expected to bring chaos to local services.

More than 70,00 local authority staff in the North-East will be among 1.2 million nationwide walking out for 24 hours tomorrow in protest at a three per cent pay offer from their employers.

The three unions involved in the action, Unison, the GMB and the Transport and General Workers union are seeking six per cent and say they will call further strikes if the dispute is not resolved.

Hundreds of schools will be forced to close, although the impact on children's education is likely to be varied.

In Newcastle upon Tyne, all but three of the local education authority's 102 primaries and secondaries will be closed.

At least 104 of County Durham's 315 schools will be closed while in some areas such as Hartlepool there will be a total shutdown to pupils.

Hundreds of school caretakers, teaching assistants, dinner ladies and other support staff are expected to join the strike.

Unison said the stoppage will hit all council services including social services, education, environmental health, housing, refuse collection, catering and cleaning.

Picket lines will be set up outside council offices and buildings and rallies will be held in towns and cities.

A spokesman for Durham County Council said it expected virtually every area of its service provision to be affected.

He said: "Constructive talks have been held to draw up a list of employees exempt from the strike call.

"But the list is limited and essentially only allows the provision of services in emergency situations and to members of the public at risk or considered vulnerable."

John Edmonds, General Secretary of the GMB said he could not understand why employers had not settled when the unions were talking about such small amounts.

He referred to Hartlepool's new mayor, Stuart Drummond who hit the headlines because he ran as the town's mascot Angus the monkey.

Mr Edmonds said Mr Drummond was paid £54,000 a year adding: ''That's for the monkey and our members have to get peanuts.''

Local authority employers said the union pay claim was equivalent to £80 a year on council tax bills, or 85,000 jobs.

Brian Baldwin, chairman of the employers' negotiating team, said: ''Three per cent is reasonable and is all that local authorities can afford.''