Junior doctors carried out a second 24-hour strike yesterday as part of a national dispute with the Government over a new contract.

Two picket lines were in place at Barnet Hospital for the duration of the industrial action, one at the main entrance and the second by the maternity ward entrance.

The junior doctors walked out at 8am yesterday and provided only emergency care until 8am today.

In Barnet town centre a 'meet the doctors' event was held at the Spires shopping centre during which junior doctors explained to shoppers the reasons for them taking the drastic action.

Elective surgeries and non-urgent outpatient appointments were at risk of being cancelled because of the strike.

The hospital also warned of longer waits in A&E.

Dr Matteo de Martino, BMA junior doctor representative and north London obstetrics and gynaecology trainee, said: "The Government and Jeremy Hunt's stance towards the junior doctor contract is tantamount to gambling with patients' lives for the sake of politics.

"They are gambling with patients' health in the short term and they are gambling with the long term future of patient safety in this country.

"They have rejected an alternative and affordable contract model put forward to them by the BMA which was cost neutral to the government, fulfilled their needs and still recognised weekends and evenings as sociable hours. This was a deal which was safe for patients and fair for doctors.

"Your NHS is already seven days a week, if you come to any A&E or out of hours GP at any time of any day we will be there for you.

"The government wants to take this away. They want to spread five days worth of doctors over seven days and in doing so endanger the British public."

The junior doctors in the picket line at Barnet Hospital were joined by Green Party leader Natalie Bennett who was showing her support for the industrial action.

This is the second strike in less than a month over the dispute between the Government and the British Medical Association (BMA) over changes to trainees' contracts.

A spokesman for the Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust, which runs Barnet Hospital, said: "Our junior doctors play a key role in helping us provide world class care to all our patients.

"Following the announcement of a strike by the British Medical Association, we have put a number of measures in place to ensure that patient safety is not compromised during the industrial action due to take place on Wednesday, February 10.

"Patients whose treatment is affected will be contacted by telephone and their appointments changed if neccessary. We would like to apologise in advance for any inconvenience this may cause.

"We have put plans in place to enable us to deliver safe services for patients during the strike action. All emergency services, including our A&E departments and urgent care centres, will run as normal."