The Transport & General Workers Union has asked its members at Associated British Ports (ABP) to vote on strike action after rejecting a 2.9% pay offer.

ABP's port operations cover 23 sites, which include Hull, Grimsby, Lowestoft and Tilbury.

In terms of handling paper and forest products, the Port of London, which includes Tilbury, is the largest in the UK, with more than 2m tonnes per year coming through the port.

A spokeswoman for M-real said it was monitoring the situation, but it was too early to make any decisions.

ABP has a small operation at Tilbury, which is unlikely to affect the port.