HUNDREDS of schools will close next week as the region faces a day of chaos in the biggest strike for a generation.

More than 300,000 North- East public sector workers will join up to three million people across the country walking out on Wednesday in protest at Government pension reforms.

The strike is expected to cause widespread disruption to council services, courts, hospitals, leisure centres, libraries and job centres.

Local authorities said they were still assessing the potential impact of the strike, although Durham County Council has already published a list of the first 100 schools due to close.

Darlington College also confirmed last night that it would shut for the day.

Public sector workers will be joined by staff from the Tyne and Wear Metro, employed by DB Regio and Nexus, after the Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT) confirmed yesterday that its members had voted by 4-1 for strike action.

Peter King, headteacher of Corporation Road Primary School, in Darlington, is the local branch secretary for the National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT) and believes most schools will close because of the strike.

He said he never envisaged striking before and apologised for the disruption it would cause to children and parents.

However, he added: “It’s the fact we aren’t being listened to.

“The NAHT has been going for 120 years and there has never been a strike in our history.

It requires people to take a second look about why we are doing that, even if you don’t agree with us.”

Prime Minister David Cameron’s spokesman said: “One of the biggest issues will be what happens to schools, because that has knock-on effects on a lot of people. Lots of families across the country are affected if schools are shut. We are doing what we can to minimise that impact.

“Our view is that unions shouldn’t be striking because the negotiations are ongoing and we think that they should be continuing with those negotiations.”

Announcing the results of the ballot, RMT general secretary Bob Crow criticised Conservative minister Frances Maude, who is negotiating with the unions, after it emerged his pension fund would be £731,000, with an annual income of £43,000.

“The hypocrisy of this Government, who are looking to hammer nurses, teachers and transport workers while they fill their boots at our expense, is breathtaking,” he said.

Unison northern regional convenor Clare Williams said the strike would be the biggest since the Winter of Discontent in 1979.

She added: “Contrary to what some people say, public sector workers don’t take strike action lightly.

“But the issue of the pensions on top of the pay freeze and redundancies is just unacceptable.

The reality is that people cannot afford to see a significant increase in their contributions and people are worried.” The likelihood of further strikes after November 30 would depend on the Government’s response, she added.

Kevan Rowan, Northern regional secretary with the TUC, said: “The average local government pension is about £4,500. In the civil service it’s less than £5,000 – it’s a myth that they are gold plated.

“People are being asked to pay quite a lot more at a time they are experiencing a pay freeze.”

Prime Minister David Cameron’s official spokesman said the Government was expecting unions to give notice of their intention to strike in the next couple of days.

He added: “Obviously there is contingency planning under way across the public sector and across public departments.”

A Cabinet Office spokesman said ministers had already stated that ministerial pensions needed to be reformed.