Resort teachers among those set to strike next month

More than 250,000 teachers in England and Wales will take part in their largest-ever walkout next month, including hundreds in Southport.

Teachers have overwhelmingly voted to join the wave of public sector strike action which has affected the country in recent weeks.

Around 24,000 schools and education centres could be forced to close on February 1 — when 100,000 civil servants at the Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union will also be on strike.

It promises to be the biggest day of disruption so far in the current wave of industrial unrest that has also seen nurses, ambulance staff, postal workers and rail workers protest over pay and working conditions.

Support staff will not join in the strike action after the union failed to meet the 50% turnout threshold.

A source close to the NEU executive told HuffPost UK: “This is a result that will hopefully send shockwaves through the government, which simply didn’t believe it was possible for us to do this.