Hundreds of funeral workers across the UK will mount picket lines outside Co-operative Funeralcare offices today when they stage a 24-hour strike in a dispute over hours and pay.

Staff including administrative workers, pall bearers and hearse drivers will also ban overtime from today after rejecting a 3.5 per cent pay offer.

The Co-op said staff involved in the action represented less than 12 per cent of the workforce covered by the pay deal.

A spokesman said the strike was "unwarranted", adding that most workers had accepted the deal which was in line with inflation.