HUNDREDS of protestors held a mass rally yesterday as unsanctioned strike action at a wheat plant entered its fourth day.

Workers blocked all the entrances to Ensus’s Wilton site at 6.30am, amid a heavy police presence.

The protest came as up to 4,000 workers at power stations and oil and gas terminals across Britain took unofficial action following the sacking of almost 650 staff at the Total-owned Lindsey Oil Refinery in North Lincolnshire.

Negotiations at the Lindsey plant were adjourned last night after five hours, with sources saying some progress was being made.

However, a number of significant barriers are believed to remain before the dispute, involving unions, contractors and Total, can be resolved.

At the Ensus plant, a worker present at the strike said: “We have got to show support for the lads down at the Lindsey Oil Refinery. This strike started off as a local thing but it is spreading now, it’s going national. We know exactly what we want for this strike to be resolved and I don’t think we will be going back to work until all the workers from Lincolnshire get their jobs back.

“The police were a bit heavy handed with us at times and were filming us on their video cameras. When we asked them why, they said because we were breaking the law blocking the road.

“We weren’t breaking the law, we were on a private road and we were letting people through, a few turned back in support of us though.”

Terry Waldron, speaking for Ensus, said: “We are disappointed and dismayed that the contractors working on our site have, for the fourth day, decided to take unofficial strike action in support of a dispute that has absolutely nothing to do with our site.

“Such action does the strikers and this business no favours at all.”

A spokesperson for Cleveland Police said: “The main function of the police operation this morning was to facilitate a peaceful protest.

“We made no arrests and everything passed without incident, there was no particular cause for concern.”

A spokesperson for Sembcorp, who manage the Wilton site, said: “We managed today’s demonstration in conjunction with Cleveland Police and ensured that traffic was able to enter and leave the site in safety.

“Although there were some delays this morning as traffic entered the site as it slowed, the protest was peaceful and safety was maintained.”