Thousands of nurses in Northern Ireland strike for first time

Thousands of nurses in Northern Ireland are on a 12-hour strike demanding extra pay and better conditions.

They say they’ve been forced to take unprecedented action because years of political paralysis have resulted in treatment waiting times lagging far behind the rest of the UK.

Claiming that inadequate staffing levels are putting patients lives at risk, at 8am this morning, thousands of members of the Royal College of Nursing walked out.