THE night skies above North Yorkshire were ablaze last night as rural campaigners lit beacons of protest at what hundreds see as the threat to their way of life.

Flames from more than 50 beacons prompted dozens of calls to emergency services as protesters started their countdown to what could be one of the biggest demonstrations of public feeling ever seen in the capital.

Thousands of people from across the region are expected to descend on London this weekend for The Countryside March - a huge protest to highlight the concerns of rural communities. Last night beacons were lit across the region, including one at Castle Howard, and more than a dozen in the area surrounding York. Leading the local protest was Carolyn Gill, wife of National Farmers' Union president Ben Gill. She lit a beacon at the family's home at Hawkhills, near Easingwold, while he was in Hampshire.

Speaking from London, today, Mr Gill said: "Last night was a fantastic chance for rural communities to join together and demonstrate their feelings - it went really well. It's important that people living in the countryside voice their concerns, and on Sunday they'll be able to do exactly that."

Simon Howard also took part in the national protest when he lit a beacon on the Castle Howard Estate. A spokesman from the estate said: "Mr Howard is extremely keen to take part and he will be in London marching with everyone else."

Sunday's march is designed to highlight rural concerns on issues ranging from the crisis in farming, through the Bill to ban fox hunting and plans to build thousands of new homes on green field sites.

Regional director of the British Field Sports Society, Vic Pulleyn, said its official trains to London had been booked up for three weeks. He added that there were 129 coaches travelling from across Yorkshire, but most of those were now full.

* North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue were called out to 14 of the beacons by worried members of the public. A spokesman said 13 of the calls were for false alarms, but they found one beacon, at Bolton Percy near Tadcaster, had been left unattended and firefighters put it out using beaters.

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