BRITAIN could face power cuts later this month when workers at a major power station in North Yorkshire down tools over pay, the Unite union warned today.

About 180 Unite members at the biomass-powered site at Drax, near Selby, will strike on February 20 and 27 and on seven more dates in March and April, the union said.

The announcement of the walkouts follows Drax Group bosses offering employees a below-inflation 8 per cent wage rise, according to Unite. The company claims that the offer actually amounts to 10 per cent.