PRESIDENT George Bush faces an angry wall of protest when he arrives in the North-East today.

Thousands of demonstrators will descend on the Prime Minister's Sedgefield constituency to voice their anger over his controversial state visit and the war against Iraq.

Members of Amnesty International's North-East branches will dress in orange boiler suits to protest against the detention of terror suspects at the US military base in Guantanamo Bay.

The group plan to chain themselves together when they join other anti-war campaigners on Sedgefield village green.

At the national demonstration in London yesterday, Scotland Yard warned that hardcore trouble-makers may hijack the anti-war march after "known faces" were spotted by undercover officers in the capital.

A team of detectives has been scouring the Internet in recent weeks to uncover anarchist groups intent on violence during the Bush visit.

Last night, Durham Police, who are overseeing the North-East leg of the President's visit, said it was prepared if certain individuals caused trouble but that it expected it to be a peaceful protest.

A Durham Police spokeswoman said: "We hope any demonstrations will be peaceful but we do have a wide range of contingency plans available."

North-East MEP Martin Callanan said he hoped the protests would not mar the visit, adding that Mr Bush should be welcomed with open arms.

He said: "It is not often we get the opportunity to play host to the most powerful political leader in the world and I hope President Bush is made to feel very welcome.

"Obviously, people are a little concerned about the security risks but I believe that a significant part of the threat, and indeed the need for so many police, comes from the antics of anti-war protestors, rather than terrorists."

Gill Hackett, of Amnesty International's Durham branch, said the visit to Sedgefield was too good an opportunity to miss.

"There are lots of things we could protest about but we wanted to highlight the situation at Guantanamo Bay. Other groups will be concerned with the war in Iraq," she said.

"We feel very strongly about this and the fact George Bush is coming to Sedgefield is an opportunity for us to say so."

North-East Liberal Democrats are also planning to gather on the village green with a banner proclaiming "Peace Not War".

Leader of the Liberal Democrats on Stockton Council, Suzanne Fletcher, who is also a member of the North-East Regional Assembly, said: "The way forward in the world is through building peace and not by destroying people's lives and countries through war."

About 500 people attended a rally at Grey's Monument, in Newcastle, on Wednesday night, organised by Tyneside Stop The War Coalition.

It was attended by families who had lost loved ones in Iraq and members of the Muslim Association of Great Britain.

A spokeswoman said: "There will be about 200 of us attending Sedgefield. We feel it was an unjust war, an illegal war. President Bush coming here has brought it all to the fore again."