Thousands of drivers in the north-east of England faced huge delays last night after 100 farmers and lorry drivers staged a drive-slow protest against high fuel prices on both carriageways of the A1 outside Gateshead, Tyne and Wear.

British truckers and farmers in Cheshire, Hertfordshire and the north-east of England followed the lead of their French counterparts to take part in protests over the high cost and taxes on fuel. They have promised a weekend of further protests and a "winter of unrest."

As the Transport Minister, Lord Macdonald, claimed the demonstrations had "flopped" and that British protesters did not have the right to put the livelihood and convenience of others at risk, the 90-minute go-slow protest near Gateshead made its way along the A1 at about 5 m.p.h.

One of the protest organisers, Mr Craig Eley, who runs a haulage business in Gateshead, said there was massive support for the truckers and the farmers: "The response has been absolutely fantastic - we can't believe how many vehicles have turned out.

"My fuel bill has increased by an extra £800 a week in recent months. The French drivers have made their voices heard and people are asking why we can't do the same.

"If something is not done soon, I could be going out of business, along with many other operators."

The regional spokesman for the campaign group, Farmers For Action, Mr Andrew Spence, expressed the feelings of most of the protesters: "This is an act of desperation by both the farmers and the truck drivers."

Earlier, farmers and hauliers claimed a victory in the battle over fuel prices after protesters prevented around 100 tankers, carrying an estimated 30,000 litres of fuel, from leaving Shell's Stanlow oil refinery near Ellesmere Port in Cheshire.

The standoff at the refinery began on Thursday night when farmers and truckers blocked the entrance with their vehicles.

However, Cheshire police warned the protesters that they faced arrest if they did not end the demonstration and at about 4 a.m. the truckers and farmers agreed to remove the vehicles. A peaceful protest continued throughout yesterday.

Meanwhile, a smaller group of truckers in the south of England blockaded the Buncefield oil terminal at Hemel Hempstead in Hertfordshire.

Eleven trucks blockaded the entrance to the oil terminal but at about 4 p.m. the protest was called off when the protesters agreed to a police request to disperse.

"We allowed them to make their point for several hours before asking them to break it up. They agreed to our request and there was no trouble," a police spokesman said.