TRAFFIC wardens in Southampton are today starting a seven-day strike in a row over pay.

Members of Unite and Unison at the city council are walking out in the latest stage of a campaign of industrial action by workers.

It is thought that the action by traffic wardens, cash collectors and maintenance engineers will lead to a revenue loss of £100,000.

Refuse collection workers have already taken industrial action and plan another strike on Saturday, with unions warning of a growing backlog of uncollected waste.

Industrial action short of strikes, such as removal of private car use to provide services, overtime bans and working to rule, continues throughout the whole council.

Around 4,300 council workers having been threatened with dismissal if they don't sign up to the new contracts by July 11 that will cut their pay by up to 5.5 per cent.

But council leaders, who are axing around 250 staff including senior managers, say the pay cuts are needed to make £25m budgets savings and save more than 400 more job losses over the next two years.

Council leader Cllr Royston Smith warned the parking strike would lead to the loss of the council's main source of income and threaten more jobs and services.

He said: "If, as a result of this strike action, the council loses income, even more pressure will be put on our finances."

He said he expected the majority of people not to exploit the situation and cause parking chaos.

The council says that a handful of parking managers will be driving around in marked vehicles to hand out tickets and collect cash from machines.