FUEL protesters staged a demonstration at the entrance of a Cheshire oil refinery last night.

Around 100 farmers and truckers, who were on foot, gathered at the entrance to Shell's Stanlow oil refinery at Ellesmere Port.

Tom Haughton, a spokesman for the group, said 50 fuel tankers were shut outside the plant.

He said: "There were over 100 hauliers and farmers who blocked the road on foot.

"I think 40 or 50 tankers were blocked out. There were 300 to come in, so they tell us."

A large police presence was at the site although the scene was peaceful and no arrests were understood to have been made. Police said the road was not blocked.

But one of the organisers, Merfyn Parry, said: "We blocked the road and were asking lorries not to go into the refinery and some of them agreed.

"We were then told that if we did not move we would be arrested.

"Our aim was to highlight the amount of tax on fuel which has gone through the roof.

"Fuel is a major expenditure for farmers and hauliers. It is crippling many of their businesses.

"Some of us have come from as afield as Anglesey and Oswestry to make our point and that's what we have done.

"We're not an organisation as such, we're just a group of people who are determined to fight this.

"One of the things the government can do is reduce the amount of revenue gained from fuel."

As they left, some of the protesters shouted that they would return tonight to continue their demonstration.

But Mr Parry said no firm plans had yet been set for further protests at Stanlow.

"We didn't purposefully arrange this to coincide with the local elections but I suppose it's good timing."

The Stanlow refinery was the centre of the fuel protests in 2000 which caused some garages to run out of petrol.