The adverts make clear that while a newly qualified doctor's assistant is taking home more than £24 per hour. A newly qualified doctor with years of medical school experience is on £18.62 per hour.

The BMA says that during talks over the past week, health secretary Wes Streeting 'failed to address' the fact that their pay has eroded by 21% between 2008 and 2025 - the worst decline in the public sector.

The union claims Streeting and his officials have refused to continue talks across the strike days, despite its willingness to do so.

In addition, the resident doctors' committee ‘overwhelmingly rejected' what amounted to ‘nothing more than vague promises' on non-pay issues in a letter to them from Streeting.

BMA resident doctors committee co-chairs Dr Melissa Ryan and Dr Ross Nieuwoudt said: ‘Pay erosion has now got to the point where a doctor's assistant can be paid up to 30% more than a resident doctor. That's going to strike most of the public that use the NHS as deeply unfair.

‘Resident doctors are not worth less than they were 17 years ago, but unfortunately, they've seen their pay erode by more than 21% in the last two decades. We're not working 21% less hard so why should our pay suffer?

‘We're asking for an extra £4 per hour to restore our pay. It's a small price to pay for those who may hold your life in their hands. Restoring pay remains the simplest and most effective route towards improving our working lives and restoring the NHS workforce.'

They added: 'We are asking Mr Streeting to get back around the table with a serious proposal as soon as possible - this time with the intent to bring this to a just conclusion.'