FUEL tax campaigner Andrew Spence is to take a back seat in the protest, just a month after leading a convoy from the North-East to London.

The 33-year-old farm worker from Consett, County Durham, became the public face of the grassroots movement after organising the stunt, dubbed the 2000 Jarrow Crusade.

However, the convoy ended in controversy, after just 350 vehicles entered London, instead of the thousands forecast, amid claims of police intimidation.

Now, Mr Spence has stepped down from the North-East committee of the People's Fuel Lobby, set up in the wake of the September blockades.

He said: "There comes a time when you have got to say, 'I've done my bit' and it is time to pass it on to new blood.

"There are a lot of people out there who are a lot more knowledgeable and a lot more experienced than I ever will be."

He claimed to have received death threats against his family after the original blockades and admitted the pressure had been a factor in his decision.

He said the protestors had helped bring about cuts in fuel duty and in tax on lorries, unveiled in Gordon Brown's mini-budget last month.

He said: "I'm not leaving on a low note, I'm leaving on a high note.