Talks aimed at resolving the unofficial strike at Total’s Lindsey oil refinery were adjourned on Tuesday night until Thursday, after wildcat stoppages backing the strikers continued to spread.

Union officials and employers met for more than five hours at a central London hotel. Insiders said some progress was made but “significant barriers’’ remained. Workers were expected to continue taking sympathy industrial action on Wednesday affecting a number of power stations and other sites across the country.