6:35pm UK, Wednesday June 30, 2004

An extra million people caught buses in London today, as a strike by Tube workers led to the worst disruption for two years.

Strike causes commuter chaos

The Rail, Maritime and Transport Union said the 24-hour walkout, which ended at 6.30pm, had been "100% successful" and warned that further strikes could be held in its pay dispute.   

Some commuters drove into central London, causing heavy congestion.   

London Underground claimed that the number of trains increased during the day and reached one in four, with most lines having some sort of service.   

But the union accused the company of exaggerating the level of services and said the transport system had been "crippled".  

Services will take time to return to normal.  

Tim O'Toole, managing director of LU, said: "I am sorry for the difficult journey many passengers are having to face.  

"We are encouraged by the number of train drivers at work, which is allowing us to run more services than we expected and I would like to thank those staff who are keeping London moving."