ALTERNATIVE Christmas carols sounded out from the steps of County Hall in Dorchester in a protest over pay and cuts to services.

Unison members turned out for the festive sing song with a difference in a bid to get their message across to Dorset County Council.

The belted out their adapted versions of In the Bleak Midwinter and Ding Dong Merrily on High with alternative lines such as: ‘Ding dong merrily on high, our wages they are falling’.

Dorset county branch secretary for Unison Pamela Jefferies said she hoped this protest with a difference would make council leaders at County Hall take notice.

She said: “We are trying to draw people’s attention to the fact our wages have fallen so drastically over the last few years.

“I know it’s the same for many people but I think local government has been hit extra hard.

“It’s not just our salaries we are concerned about, it’s the cuts to public services and the need to maintain them.”