NURSING leaders last night warned a pay row could leave North-East hospitals short of cover as staff consider refusing to carry out unpaid overtime.

The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) says goodwill could be withdrawn if the Government awards a pay rise of less than three per cent next month.

A survey of one thousand nurses reveals that six per cent of those in the North-East would stop completing paperwork and seven per cent would consider strike action in protest at poor pay.

Twenty-nine per cent of members in the region would also think about refusing to accept unpaid overtime if an expected two per cent rise is implemented.

The RCN claims NHS nurses work on average an extra six-and-a-half hours a week without pay and if one in three chose to stop, around a day of care per nurse per week would be lost at a cost of 8m.

Glenn Turp, RCN northern director, said: If the Government wishes to deliver on its plans for modernising the NHS, it cannot afford to lose the goodwill of nursing staff.

A pay rise of two per cent is simply not enough.

Chancellor Gordon Brown has recommended a two per cent award for public sector workers, and the Pay Review Body will decide early next month.

But the RCNs annual survey has revealed that more than one in four nurses have a second job and a similar number of student nurses leave the profession because of financial pressures.

In the last month, more than 17,000 nurses and their supporters have sent electronic postcards to the Chancellor urging him to reconsider his pay plans.