Midwives, radiographers and other hospital staff went on strike to protest against low pay.

Drivers beeped their horns and passers-by cheered in support of union members from the Royal College of Midwives, Unison and the Society of Radiographers as they stood outside Colchester General Hospital for four hours.

It comes after the Government refused a recommendation by the NHS for a 1per cent across-the-board pay rise.

Figures available on nhs careers.nhs.uk show an entry level midwife would receive a salary from Band Five, which pays between £21,478 and £27,901, and can rise to Band Six which pays between £25,783 and £34,530.

Haley Duffy, 35, a radiographer who was on the picket line, said: “Every year everything costs more. Yet my pay isn’t reflecting that–so every year I get worse and worse off.”

Occupational therapist Anne Pettican, from Leavenheath, a member of Unison, said: “We haven’t had a pay rise for some years while the cost of living has increased considerably.”

Their fight will continue with “action short of a strike”, which will sees staff ensure they take their entitled breaks and avoid doing unpaid overtime, something midwife Pauline Head says is common practice.

Mrs Head, 60, of Audley Road, Colchester, said: “The Royal College of Midwives says every midwife works about three hours unpaid every week, which, in four weeks, equates to a1per cent pay rise.”

Monday's action follows a previous strike in October, which was the first day of strike action in the NHS for 30 years.

A spokesman for Colchester Hospital University NHS Foundation Trust said: “Approximately 70 members of staff took part in industrial action.

“Not all of them were on strike for the whole four-hour period.

“Disruption was kept to a minimum, but we did postpone one day case theatre list of about five patients, for which we apologise.”