Thousands of prison officers across Britain decided to go on a 24-hour strike Wednesday over pay and conditions, despite a court injunction forbidding the protest action.

Almost 140 prisons in England and Wales are affected by this strike initiated by the Prison Officers' Association (POA), after its members gave their thumbs-up for Wednesday’s walkout. The protest action does not include detention facilities in Scotland or Northern Ireland.

The POA has previously pulled out of an agreement with the government under which it can’t organize strikes. Speaking on behalf of the government, Secretary of State for justice Jack Straw said the strike is “wholly unjustified and unlawful.”

His statement comes after the High Court ordered the wardens to return to their posts, but a POA spokesmen said the walkout will continue as planned.

According to the union spokesman, the wardens aren’t pleased with the conditions proposed, especially with a pay raise of 2.5 scheduled to take place in two stages and the hard work conditions caused by overcrowding. Approximately 90 per cent of the 28,000 members took part in this national strike, the POA announced.

Only prison officers in Bristol returned to their posts Wednesday afternoon, while the rest continued their protest action. A dangerous situation is starting to take shape, after several inmates at a Liverpool detention facility climbed on the roof as a protest sign.

This was an isolated protest, as most detainees remained under total “lock down” with visits also stopped. The authorities assured the population that there is no danger and the public safety will remain untouched, police forces being prepared to intervene immediately if a security breach appears.