LEADING fuel protestor Andrew Spence last night backtracked on comments about bringing Britain to its knees with a new wave of blockades.

The County Durham farmer had previously pledged to bring about a "winter of discontent" in the new year.

Mr Spence, 33, of Leadgate, near Consett, County Durham, said that the strength of public support would cost Prime Minister Tony Blair the election if he did not listen.

But now Mr Spence, a North-East committee member of the People's Fuel Lobby, has denied planning any new action, insisting there was "nothing happening and nothing planned".

He said: "I am genuinely trying to take a back seat from the organisation and the chances of me taking some role again are small."

But he did not rule out the possibility of further protests "if my members in the North-East wish that to be the case".

Mr Spence played a high-profile part in the convoy demonstration between Newcastle and London, earlier this month.

The action took place 60 days after wide-scale oil depot blockades in September caused filling stations to run dry.

A spokesman for the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions said last night that measures introduced by Chancellor Gordon Brown to ease the tension over fuel were a "good package".

Included in the recent £5bn giveaway were a freeze on fuel duty and cuts in the price of green petrol and diesel.