-AROUND one-in-four staff at councils across Hampshire are set to walk out – causing widespread disruption to services.

Rubbish collections in Southampton will be suspended. Collections in New Forest, Eastleigh, Fareham and Test Valley will also be hit by the strikes, however the councils are urging residents due to have a collection to leave their rubbish out as normal. Any uncollected bins will be emptied the following week.

Collections in Winchester will be least affected as the council uses private firm Biffa which has fewer local government pension members among its staff.

Unions expect all libraries which would normally open in the county to be closed.

Southampton City Council, which is still in a long-running dispute with 2,400 unionised staff over controversial pay cuts, confirmed all its libraries will shut along with the city art gallery and Tudor House museum. There will also be no park maintenance in the city.

But city residential homes, children’s centres and the registry office will remain open for planned marriages to go ahead.

Leisure centres in Southampton, Eastleigh and the New Forest will also remain open as usual, the councils said.

Hampshire County Council said it anticipated there will be “widespread disruption” across its services if all trade union members within the county do decide to strike.

It last night announced all day centres for the elderly would be closed for the day, although added the “majority of care homes would be unaffected.”

Tim Cutter, branch secretary of the county council’s Unison branch, which has around 7,000 members, said libraries, trading standards, and registrations for deaths and marriages would be among those services noticeably hit.

Councils have also warned residents may find longer waiting times than usual when contacting them by phone.