A public sector strike was set to shut schools, courts, job centres and driving test centres throughout the county today.

Picket lines were due to be set up outside many of the closed buildings as four unions took strike action in protest at public sector pension reforms.

Thousands of children will miss lessons and parents have been forced to make alternative childcare provisions due to the action by teachers.

People will also have driving lessons cancelled, miss court appearances and have job interview sessions rescheduled as the strike takes effect.

The strike action, which started at midnight and lasts for 24 hours, was being taken by four unions.

Andrew Lloyd, Midlands regional secretary for one of the unions, the Public and Commercial Services Union, said: "It is unfortunate but disruption is the name of the game.

"We want to make a statement to the Government to force them to realise that what they are proposing to do with public sector pensions is wrong and not acceptable."

Members of the University and Colleges' Union at Leicester College and De Montfort University are also supporting the strike action.

The National Union of Teachers (NUT) and the Association of Teachers and Lecturers are also on strike.

In the county, 99 schools have announced they will be affected, with 55 closed and 44 partially closed.

In the city, 93 schools face disruption, with 56 closed to pupils and 37 only partially open, meaning 192 schools across the city and county are affected in total.

In Rutland, six of the 18 schools will be affected and one of the four colleges will be hit by the action.

In Leicester, the strikers and their supporters were due to congregate at the city council offices, in New Walk, before staging a mass rally in Victoria Park.

Ian Leaver, assistant secretary of Leicester's NUT, said he regretted schools being closed but that the Government had forced the union into the strike action. He said: "I will be joining the picket lines at Wyggeston and Queen Elizabeth and Regent colleges in the morning before heading to Victoria Park."

Some of the biggest picket lines will be at Jobcentreplus, in Wellington Street, and at the tax office, Saxon House, in Causeway Lane.

Picket lines were also expected outside some courts as magistrates in Leicester, Market Harborough, Melton and Loughborough were due to be kept open. Leicester Crown Court was to remain closed.

Airline passengers also faced possible disruption as immigration staff were due to join the action.

However, a spokesman at East Midlands Airport said: "We have been told by the UK Border Agency that there should be little or no disruption to their services here."

The coalition Government says the increasing cost of paying for public sector pensions has to be dealt with.