Welsh councils "deeply regret" disruption to local authority services caused as about 100,000 workers went on strike over pay conditions.

Hundreds of schools closed and services like rubbish collection, leisure centres and cemeteries were hit as a militant mood swept council workers across the UK.

About 1.2m members of Unison, the GMB and the TGWU protested at a 3% pay rise in the first mass strike since 1979 because they want 6%.

Their action succeeded in shutting down services across much of the country.

After a day of visible anger, the Welsh Local Government Association issued a statement in which it defiantly re-iterated local authorities' position.

Cash plea woe

"Employers believe they have made the best and fairest offer they can afford," it read.

"The trade union claim is substantially in excess of the rate of inflation and, if agreed, can only lead to loss of jobs and higher taxes."

Severity of disruption across Wales was dependent on local exemptions from the strike, the WLGA said.

Council cash

Classroom assistants: £5/hr Dinner ladies: £4.80/hr Binmen: £5/hr Raise offer: 3% Raise demand: 6%

Many schools closed as caretakers and catering staff joined the protest - just days before pupils break for the summer holidays.

Regular council operations were affected, including libraries and day centres for the elderly, in the first national strike for 23 years.

The centre of Pontypridd in south Wales was brought to a standstill as several hundred council workers and their supporters marched through the town in the morning.

A similar rally was held outside the Welsh Assembly building.

But emergency services were maintained, with vital staff granted permission to cross picket lines.

Tight-lipped

Two-thirds of the staff earn less per year than the average £12,000 allowance paid to council leaders.

But councils say they cannot afford the 6% pay hike being demanded.

Local authorities say the rise demanded is equivalent to £80 a year on council tax bills or 85,000 jobs.

Downing Street refused to be drawn on the strike, and said the issue was "entirely a matter for the local government authorities and the unions".

At Cardiff Bay, Conservative assembly leader Nick Bourne demanded Local Government Minister Edwina Hart make a statement on the extent on disruption to Welsh public life.

The dispute at a glance
Management	Unions
Offering a 3% rise, which for the lowest-paid workers is 15p an hour	Demanding a 6% rise
Local authorities say 6% would put £80 on council tax	Some workers earn less than £10,000
Only 25% of workers backed the strike	Unions say workers have been intimidated
Local authorities involved are in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, badly hit areas include Newcastle and Manchester	Strikers are members of Unison, TGWU, and the GMB, they include dinner ladies, caretakers, social workers, classroom assistants, library staff, architects, refuse collectors