Probation staff in the Bradford district start a 24-hour strike tomorrow as part of a national protest against Government plans to privatise part of the service.

The strike begins at noon and involves 80 members of the National Association of Probation Officers locally, including probation officers and administration staff.

Katie Lomas, NAPO West Yorkshire branch convenor, said probation officers would not be in work, but the probation trust had contingency plans.

Union members will mount pickets outside probation offices at Fraternal House, Cheapside, Bradford, and Cavendish Street, Keighley, and outside the Bradford Crown Court building.

Miss Lomas said: “All our staff are highly committed to the job they do.

“We are working with the Trust to make sure that the impact on the service users is as minimal as it can be.”