NHS officials have warned that its services in Leicestershire could be under "immense pressure" during this week's senior doctor strike that stretches into the bank holiday weekend.

Consultants working in local hospitals will join colleagues across the country taking part in industrial action from 7am on Thursday (August 24) until 7am on Saturday (August 26).

Members of the British Medical Association (BMA) are walking out over pay. Last month, the Government made what it is said was the "final offer" of a six per cent pay increase for doctors in England.

But this was described as a "savage real-terms pay cut" by the BMA, which is calling on the Government to reverse the "35 per cent pay erosion" it said its members had experienced after the pay structure was reshaped in 2008.

The strike action is likely to put the local NHS "under immense pressure", according to leaders from the Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland Integrated Care Board (LLRICB), which provides local health services. The walk-outs will be followed by the summer bank holiday on Monday (August 28), when GP practices and many pharmacies will be shut, extending the period when healthcare will be limited.

Dr Nil Sanganee, chief medical officer for the ICB, said: "We have plans in place to ensure we can provide emergency cover in our hospitals, so do use the 999 service if it is a life-threatening emergency. However, please be aware that our hospitals, like the wider NHS and local health and care system, are really busy, so please help us by choosing the right NHS service for your needs.

"If you have a medical problem that is not critical or life-threatening, use the 111 online service and remember that GP practices and pharmacies are also open [during the walk-out] and largely unaffected by the strikes."

People who take regular medication have been asked to plan ahead and make sure they have enough to last through the bank holiday weekend. Patients are also being reminded to attend any booked appointments, unless the NHS has already told them that it will be rescheduled.

Urgent mental health support will be available during the strike action.

Sanjay Rao, a consultant psychiatrist for Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust, said: "Crisis mental health services remain open. Our mental health central access point is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, on freephone 0808 800 3302.

"As well as assessments and early interventions where needed, the service aims to reduce the pressure on other services, particularly emergency services, by offering an alternative to NHS111 and the emergency department. Anyone needing mental health support for themselves or others can call this service. If there is an immediate threat to someone's life, please phone 999."