Martin Sedgewick: "We proved them wrong"

"The strength of feeling is still there," agreed John Vosper, 55, who owns three lorries at his Bedfordshire firm.

"And more trucks are on the way," he added conspiratorially. "We're expecting at least 100 from Wales."

The protesters gathered in small, quiet groups, waiting in the bright sunshine to set off to Hyde Park for a rally.

There was no sign of tension between the demonstrators and officers from the Metropolitan Police who were keeping an eye on the situation and directing traffic.

However few protesters had a good word to say about their treatment by police on the long trip south.

Andrew Spence, who organised the convoy, accused the police of using tactics such as filming drivers to intimidate the hauliers.

Mechanic Pete Roper: "If hauliers go bust, so do I"

"We started with 100 at Newcastle and by the time the police had finished we were down to 15.

"But lots of people have flocked to help us now," he said.

Haulier Lorna Thorman, 52, was angered by rumours of police intransigence.

"We heard they wouldn't even let them stop for a hot meal. Some of the women had cooked a free dinner for them but the police forced them to keep on going," she recounted.

Manchester mechanic, Pete Roper, said he had travelled down to "show solidarity" with the truckers.

But he added that he had a vested interest in seeing the haulage industry prosper.

"If hauliers go out of business, so do I. Quite a few of my customers have gone bust. I know one man who parked up 15 wagons - sold them, because he couldn't afford to run them."

Farmers 'hard hit'

And as the tractors lining the Westway suggested, there was a strong presence from farmers at the protest.

Farm worker Chris Stanton supports the protest

Eighteen-year-old Chris Stanton usually spends his time milking cows near Chippenham, Wiltshire, but he decided to join the protest "to protect my future".

"If the farms go bust, I don't get work.

"The more fuel goes up, the more we have to pay for feed," he explained.

Agricultural contractor David Gunn, 44, said: "We've been hard hit - we're not just bleating, it's the truth."

Standing next to him, beef farmer David Hodges from Kent added: "We've no money at the end of the day, all farms are in debt."

'Fobbed off'

Farmers and truckers were agreed that the government had not done enough in last week's pre-Budget statement to make a difference to what they see as spiralling fuel costs.

"We were fobbed off," said lorry driver Jim Hawkins, 38, from Leighton Buzzard.

"Many of us already use low sulphur fuel, but the tax cuts won't get passed on to us. The petrol companies never cut their prices."

Some protesters muttered that a return to the blockades would have to be mounted "to make Tony sit up and listen".

Lorna Thorman and her husband own a one-truck firm

"We're learning all the time and next time we'll do it properly," said one trucker who did not want to be named.

But Mr Hawkins said that while public support for the convoy had been "excellent" he admitted that the recent flooding and delays to the rail network had dampened general enthusiasm for any action which would bring the roads to a standstill.

Londoners showed an ambivalence to Tuesday's demonstration.

As traffic whizzed past the parked vehicles, a few drivers tooted their horns. And a lone elderly man held aloft a home made placard pledging the support of South Kensington pensioners.

"I'm behind them, 100%," said a passing middle-aged man.

But not everyone was so supportive. As a giant lorry blared its klaxon, a woman leaned out of the window of some nearby flats and yelled "Shut up!" before slamming it shut again.