EAST London shoppers will be free to park wherever they like next week, as wardens strike in a bid for decent sick pay.

An astonishing 100 per cent of parking wardens employed by private contractor APCOA in the borough of Hackney voted for industrial action.

They will now walk out for 48 hours from midnight next Monday.

General union Unite, which represents the workers, says the action centres around the workers’ terms being inferior to equivalent staff employed directly by the council.

Unite officer Onay Kasab said: “Car users in Hackney will have their chances of getting a ticket much reduced for two days next week.

“The case that our members are making is that in their role, sickness absence is not uncommon because of the many incidents of abuse and assaults they suffer. Yet all they get is statutory sick pay — it is not good enough.”

The members have also rejected the 1.5 per cent pay offer made by APCOA.