Shambles!

The national pay strike is set to hit a swathe of council services - from schools and libraries to swimming pools, museums and refuse collection services.

Across the city, people are bracing themselves for disruption:

- Hundreds of parents are scrambling to organise child-care for their youngsters after a number of schools announced last night they would be shut for the day

- Tourism chiefs are warning that visitors may turn up in York only to find key museums, public toilets and the Shambles car park closed

- Shoppers will finds bins overflowing, and Newgate Market "looking like Beirut" after stallholders go home, according to a street cleaning supervisor who is going on strike.

Gillian Cruddas, York Tourism Bureau chief executive, said she was very concerned about the effect of the strike on visitors, whom she thought might be unaware that the Castle Museum, Art Gallery, Yorkshire Museum and Central Library would all be closed.

"This will undoubtedly cause problems for our visitors," she said, adding that she was doing everything possible to minimise inconvenience.

Ten schools or nurseries in York will be shut, including Fulford School, with more than 1,200 pupils. The school's head Stephen Smith informed parents last night of his "difficult decision" to close, apologising for the short notice and saying he was well aware of child care arrangements that some parents would need to make.

Unison spokesman Peter Household claimed the union had given schools and councils "plenty of notice" about the strike.

Some York children will also be hit by the closure of Easingwold School. Fishergate Primary and Carr Infant and Junior Schools will also be shut, along with Fulford Cross Special School, Galtres Special School, Lidgett Grove Special School, Tang Hall Primary School's Early Years Unit, Haxby Road Foundation and Nursery School, and St Pauls Nursery School.

The Edmund Wilson and Yearsley Swimming Pools will be closed, along with the Oaklands Sports Centre, but the Barbican will be open as usual.

City of York Council said it was unlikely refuse would be collected from residential properties. It is not yet known whether people will get a delayed collection later in the week or must wait until next Wednesday. The city centre finance office will be shut, although council tax and benefit queries can be made by phone.

The council said it had been working with other bodies to ensure that visitors who are unable to use the public toilets can use ones in city centre shops instead.

The authority said vital services to vulnerable people would be maintained, with plans in place to deal with any emergencies. Key social services staff and some commercial services staff will be providing services.

Street cleansing supervisor Paul Willey today predicted the city centre would resemble a "bomb site" and the market look like Beirut after the city goes more than 30 hours before any bins are emptied.

His crew will also not be on hand to put out bollards to pedestrianise the city centre streets. "I'm expecting chaos," he said.

Updated: 15:17 Tuesday, July 16, 2002