Resident doctors in England will go on strike for five consecutive days in the run-up to Christmas, the British Medical Association (BMA) has announced.

The walkout will take place from 7am on December 17 until December 22.

Experts expect pressure on services to be “intense” amid surging flu cases and staff sickness, but medics say they have been left with “no choice”.

Dr Jack Fletcher , chairman of the BMA’s resident doctors committee, said: “With the Government failing to put forward a credible plan to fix the jobs crisis for resident doctors at the same time as pushing a real terms pay cut for them, we have no choice but to announce more strike dates.

“However, these do not need to go ahead. Gradually raising pay over a few years and some common-sense fixes to the job securit

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