THE North was hardest-hit by the biggest strike in the UK since 1926 - but a row broke out last night over how many local government workers had stayed at home.

Jubilant union bosses said more than a million council staff stayed away from work in a protest over pension rights.

Council bosses disputed the figure, with the Local Government Association (LGA) saing only 25 per cent, or 400,000 people, had taken part.

Although the real figure will not be known for several days, it was clear last night that the strike had been most solid in the North.

Some councils lost more than 70 per cent of the workforce, compared to some parts of the South, where the strike call was virtually ignored.

Traffic using the A1 between Newcastle and Durham, and the A19, between Newcastle and Sunderland, was gridlocked during the morning rush-hour due to the closure of the Tyne Tunnel and Tyneside's Metro train service.

Newcastle city centre traffic was bumper-to-bumper again in the afternoon.

Police efforts to keep vehicles moving were not helped by a man who climbed on to the Tyne Bridge, forcing its closure for two hours.

Nationally, two-thirds of schools closed as support staff took part in the strike over changes that could mean those in the Local Government Pension Scheme will have to delay their retirement.

In Newcastle, Sunderland, Gateshead and North and South Tyneside, the proportion was higher.

Many local authority services ground to a halt.

In Stockton, 70 per cent of the council's 8,500 staff went on strike - a figure confirmed by the LGA.

In Darlington, Unison, which represents public sector workers, said 1,500 out of 2,000 members walked out.

In Hartlepool, the council said fewer than 200 people turned up out of a workforce of 4,500.

In North Yorkshire, Unison estimated more than half of its 4,100 union members went on strike.

The LGA figures indicate that in some authorities in the South, as few as 0.6 per cent of the workforce (in Northamptonshire) went on strike. It was less than ten per cent in many places, including Bracknell, in Berkshire; Buckinghamshire; Hampshire; Hertfordshire; Dartford and Maidstone, both Kent; South Oxfordshire and Woking, in Surrey.

Charlie Syme, Unison's North-East regional organiser, said: "Across the region, 75,000 local authority employees went on strike.

"The Government can be in no doubt of the depth of feeling in the North-East. We can be proud that we have a tradition that we have been able to deliver on a strike in the way that we have seen today."

Business organisations last night criticised the unions, but said the disruption had not been as bad as expected.

Liz Smith, assistant regional director of the Confederation of British Industry, said: "Our members are quite surprised by how little disruption there has been. Many businesses have contingency plans, so staff can work from home."

John Wright, of the Federation of Small Businesses, said there was little sympathy in the private sector.

Joanne Fryett, Tees Valley policy manager for the North East Chamber of Commerce, said: "It has been like a Sunday in Middlesbrough today, so I would say retailers have suffered. Those who have been affected are everyday men and women who are working for private sector companies and who now don't have final salary or matched pension schemes anymore."

Unison warned of more strikes if the Government refused to scrap the changes.

It is considering holding a two-day strike after the May 1 bank holiday.

That could affect local elections, which are planned for Thursday, May 4.

The LGA has said the changes proposed by unions to the pension scheme would add at least two per cent a year to every council taxpayer's bill.

Chairman of the Local Government Association Sir Sandy Bruce Lockhart said: "The council taxpayer simply cannot pay more.