THE nation's capital is expected to come to a standstill tomorrow in what could be the biggest ever demonstration witnessed on the streets of London.

The Countryside Alliance Liberty and Livelihood March is expected to attract about 280,000 people from around the country - some anticipate that figure will top the 300,000 mark.

A network of chartered trains and buses will ferry marchers to the capital to protest against what they perceive as a threat to their way of life.

The Alliance has produced a list of demands for the Government to:

* Defend the right of rural people to live their lives responsibly in the way they choose

* Safeguard rural people from attacks on hunting with dogs and all other field sports

* Respect the values and customs of rural communities

* Ensure any laws directed at rural people have their consent

* Address the real problems in the countryside, which are destroying its communities, its culture and its children's future.

The North-East will be well represented at the rally. About 10,000 people from the region are expected to join in the march, travelling by air, rail and road.

Three trains chartered in the region are already full to capacity and about 100 buses will be making the journey south.

There are two assembly points for the route. Most of North-East marchers plan to start at the Livelihood Route, near Blackfriars Bridge.

The Liberty Route marchers will assemble in Hyde Park and the two groups will come together at Whitehall, where the count will take place to establish accurate numbers.

The first protestors will set off from their designated start point at 10am, and it is anticipated the last marchers will finish at about 5pm.

The Prince of Wales's companion Camilla Parker Bowles is reportedly keen to attend the march, but the Prince is believed to be concerned about being dragged into a political debate.

Public schools, including Eton and Harrow, have given pupils time off to attend the march, which is the culmination of the Countryside Alliance's "summer of discontent".

Among the marchers will be 16 members of the Scottish Countryside Alliance, who will have run to London from John O'Groats.

The march is expected to lead to gridlock on roads, with several routes closed to traffic. At its height, protestors will be walking 20 abreast, with 15 of the 26 shadow cabinet members, including Conservative leader Iain Duncan Smith, among their number.

Metropolitan Police have committed 1,600 officers to the demonstration, which is expected to pass off peacefully.

Although the proposed ban on hunting with hounds will be high on the agenda, campaigners say the protest is to display concerns about the wider issues facing the rural community.

March factfile

* Up to 280,000 marchers expected to take part

* 31 trains chartered from all over the UK

* Several operating companies laying on extra train services or adding carriages

* 2,240 coaches arriving from all over the country

* 500,000 car stickers and 250,000 posters distributed

* March stewarded by 2,000 people, linked by radio

* Tower Bridge, Southwark Bridge, London Bridge and Westminster Bridge closed to accommodate the marchers

* Five 40sq m event television screens placed along the routes

* 30,000 leaflets distributed in Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool, Newcastle, Sunderland and Hartlepool

* 200 'mega banners' sited along major trunk routes