Travellers have been warned to expect delays on arrival at UK ports and airports on Thursday as hundreds of immigration and customs officers are due to join the public sector strike.

People are being advised to think about travelling on alternative dates.

Up to 750,000 teachers and civil servants are due to strike over planned pension changes they say will mean them working longer and paying more.

Business leaders have warned of the impact of the walkout on the economy.

Airport operator BAA, which runs Heathrow, Stansted, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen and Southampton airports, said in a statement: "We have been informed by UK Border Agency that arriving passengers should expect delays at the UK border on Thursday as a result of industrial action by immigration officers.

"UK Border Agency are advising that passengers who can do so may wish to travel on other dates."

Jonathan Sedgwick, acting chief executive of the UK Border Agency, said: "We will do everything we can to minimise disruption and inconvenience to travellers but our priority will always be to ensure that the UK border remains secure."

'Tough realities'
More than 3,000 schools in England and Wales will be closed, and some 2,200 partially closed, the government has said, because of 24-hour strike action by members of the National Union of Teachers and the Association of Teachers and Lecturers.



At a time when many firms are still struggling, this is the last thing they need”

Colin Stanbridge
Chief executive, London Chamber of Commerce
Announcing the figures on Tuesday, Mr Gove said the situation with another 10,872 schools was "not at that stage known".

The British Chambers of Commerce said many parents would lose pay for taking the day off work to look after their children, and productivity would be hit.

"Public sector pensions have long faced problems of affordability, and reforms to bring them into line with those in the private sector are essential," said director general David Frost.

"The reality is that our workforce is living longer, and pensions need to reflect this to be sustainable in the long term.

"The private sector has had to wake up to the tough realities of pension provision in a rapidly changing world, and the public sector must do the same."

'Good deal'
Colin Stanbridge, chief executive of the London Chamber of Commerce, said: "With teachers going on strike and parents having to stay at home to look after their children, the day itself will prove a nightmare for businesses as staff absence and losses in productivity will be inevitable.

"At a time when many firms are still struggling, this is the last thing they need and public sector unions need to realise the impact their actions will have on the economy."

Members of the University and College Union and the Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union are also involved in Thursday's strike action.

Addressing the Local Government Association conference on Tuesday, Prime Minister David Cameron said: "To those considering strike action, when discussions are ongoing, I say to you these strikes are wrong, for you, for the people you serve and for the good of the country."

The PM said the proposed changes to public sector pensions were a "good deal".

Labour leader Ed Miliband said the strikes would be a "mistake", and that both sides should get back round the negotiating table.

"Public sector pensions do need to be reformed," he said. "But the government has to take its share of responsibility for the provocative way they have handled these negotiations."

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