About 350 council workers marched through Oxford today in protest over pay.

Libraries, schools and leisure facilities were forced to close as members of the Unison and Unite unions across the county walked out over a below-inflation 2.45 per cent pay offer.

Earlier in the week, Oxford City Council rescheduled its refuse collection services over the coming fortnight to cope with staff shortages.

The two-day national strike is set to finish tomorrow.

Oxfordshire County Council employee Marie Browning, 32, from Stanford in the Vale, carries out home visits for adults who are recovering from strokes, heart attacks and accidents.

The mother-of-four said union members were campaigning for a six per cent pay rise - or the equivalent of an extra 50p an hour.

She said: "Things are so bad I don't think I can afford to work.

"I can't pay for child care so maybe I should stay at home and collect tax credits.

"But I want to work, not live on handouts.

"The Government doesn't listen to normal working people. Hopefully they will now."

Colleague Mandy Page, 42, from Upton, near Didcot, added: "We just want a pay rise so we can do our jobs properly."

Unison office manager Eva Emmett, 54, from Blackbird Leys, picketed outside County Hall in New Road, Oxford, with her granddaughter Sophie.

She said: "We are not greedy, but 2.45 per cent is pathetic. People can't manage and are getting into debt."

Ten schools in the county were closed or partially closed.

They were John Watson School, Wheatley;Ladygrove Park Primary School, Didcot;Bardwell School, Bicester; Didcot Girls' School; Kingfisher School, Abingdon; Iffley Mead School, Oxford; Northern House School, Oxford; Northfield School, Oxford; St Nicholas Primary School, Oxford; and Church Cowley St James Primary School, Oxford.

In Oxford, public toilets remained closed, as well as the Museum of Oxford and council customer services centres in St Aldate's and Templars Square shopping centre at Cowley.

Ferry Sports Centre, Hinksey Pool (between 2pm and 8pm) and Blackbird Leys Pool were also shut.

Mark Fysh, Unison branch secretary for Oxfordshire, said: "I think we have successfully made our point. Schools and libraries are shut and I'm struck by the number of people who have stayed away."

However, Oxfordshire County Council played down the impact of the industrial action - although tonight, it was unable to say how many of its 2,600 union members had not shown up for work.

Spokesman Paul Smith said: "County Hall is operating as normal."