Union officials and the Inland Revenue have come up with plans to ease overcrowding and long waits in tax offices.

Workers have been experiencing problems since the introduction of tax credits, according to the Public and Commercial Services Union, which represents about 8,000 staff working in tax offices across the region.

It says frontline staff have been working in difficult and stressful circumstances, their workload has more than doubled and they have had to deal with irate customers.

Some tax offices had to close the doors to avoid chaotic overcrowding.

New solutions include agreements on overtime working and the setting up of specialist centres to deal with the work.

Simple measures will be introduced, including ensuring tax offices have notices of the nearest toilets and nappy changing centres. Staff will also receive training to help them manage angry customers.

Graham Steel, senior national officer for PCS Inland Revenue Group, said: "Tax office staff are the unsung heroes of the tax credit crisis.

"The tremendous effort being made by our members in contact centres, enquiry offices and tax offices has helped thousands of claimants in Southern England to receive the tax credits they are due.

"They have worked extremely hard in stressful circumstances, often finding themselves the unfair focus of customer frustration.

"Our members are professionals and want to provide the best service possible to the tax credit claimants."