One of the organisers of the fuel tax protest said last night he had been forced to step down after he and his family had received death threats.

Andrew Spence, a farmer and regional spokesman for Farmers for Action in the North-East, revealed his decision to demonstrators at the Shell UK oil depot at Jarrow.

Earlier, he and another man had been arrested as tanker lorries were escorted out of the Texaco/BP terminal at the port of Sunderland.

They were charged with obstructing the highway and bailed to appear before magistrates later in the week.

Mr Spence, a constant figure at the Jarrow blockade, said threats had been made against himself and another organiser, haulage boss Craig Eley.

He said: "My wife has received death threats and they say they are going to burn our farm down."

He said he felt he could not continue his high-profile role within the protest network.

However, Mr Eley vowed to keep up his protest, despite thugs' threats to harm his young son and torch his business in Gateshead.

"You can't let people like that frighten you. The only thing I am concerned about is that my family is all right."

Durham Police confirmed a complaint had been made by Mr Spence's family.