NHS staff across north Essex are on strike this morning as part of a row with Government about pay.

Picket lines have been set up outside Colchester General and Clacton Hospital.

At Colchester, there are more than 50 people outside holding up signs and banners.

The four-hour strike, which began at 7am, is the first time NHS staff have walked out in more than 30 years.

Trade unions want a 1% pay rise for all NHS staff, but the government has said the proposal would cost too much.

Read the full report, including interviews with people on the picket line, in tomorrow's Gazette.