THE Piccadilly Line is among a host of Tube service closed today due to a mass walkout of workers.

Thousands of London Underground staff began a 24-hour strike last night, crippling the Tube network and leaving commuters to find others ways to get to work.

All but a small section of the Piccadilly Line has shut for the day, with only the Northern Line escaping unscathed from the industrial action so far.

Roy Snellgrove is a newspaper vendor outside Bounds Green who has spent much of this morning directing confused Tube users to the nearest bus stops.

He said: “People aren't supportive of what's happening but they accept it. Most come up and take one look and walk away because they know alternative routes.

“I think London Underground is going the wrong way about all this, making redundancies and it's all an excuse to cut costs.

“But I've been here long enough, through previous strikes, to just accept what happens and get on with it.”

The strikes have pushed more people than usual on to the capital's roads, with delays reported this morning on the North Circular through Palmers Green and along large stretches of the A10.

The industrial action is over union demands that plans to cut the opening hours of a host of Tube station ticket offices be scrapped.

London Underground wants to dramatically reduce the ticket office hours because of the success of the Oyster card scheme and move staff to the barriers in stations.

However, unions are arguing the loss of ticket office hours will compromise safety at stations and they fears large numbers of job losses will follow.

Yesterday, former Mayor of London Ken Livingstone attacked incumbent Boris Johnson over the strikes, saying it was his job to stop planned industrial action in October and November.

He said: “Of course this isn't fair on Londoners. The mayor should get off his great backside and sit down with the union leaders and sort out what's going on.

“This could go on for months. Refusing to talk is just stupid.”