ORGANISERS of a mass campaign against Darlington Borough Council have vowed to be back "bigger, stronger and louder" following a town centre protest.

More than 300 people turned out for the demonstration in High Row on Saturday to support a range of pressure groups who oppose the council's policies on pedestrianisation, planning and education.

But council leader John Williams attacked Saturday's event as nothing more than a desperate attempt to increase numbers of protestors.

The demonstration was organised by the Save Hurworth and Rural Education (Share) action group, which is fighting proposals to close Hurworth and Eastbourne comprehensive schools and to create a £25m privately-sponsored academy.

Share invited other campaign groups, including Save the White Horse Pub and the Civic Trust, which is opposing plans to pedestrianise the town centre, to join the rally.

During the two-hour protest, signatures were collected from shoppers amid chants of "enough is enough" and "hands off our schools".

Share chairwoman Jill Russell said: "The aim of the protest was to bring the groups together, as together we are a stronger force.

"We are all against the same thing and that's the council. This is just the start of things.

"We are planning more protests and we will be back bigger, stronger and louder."

Councillor Williams dismissed the demonstration as a stunt and said the majority of residents were behind the plans for an education academy.

He said: "We always listen and have listened. The only reason Share invited these other groups along to hold a protest against the council is to increase their numbers.

"It is simply that they realised they did not have enough people to put on the protest themselves.

"Regarding the Share issue, I think the vast majority of people in Darlington will be amazed that parents can get together to protest against a council which is expressing an interest in receiving £25m in funding for a brand new secondary school with state-of-the-art facilities."

Share is organising two more protests.

The first will be held at the town hall on October 31.

Ms Russell said: "We are holding it on Hallowe'en and calling it 'The Blair Ditch Project'. We are inviting the other action groups to join us again and are asking people to dress up in Hallowe'en costumes.

"The message we are trying to send out is Tony Blair and the council keep coming up with monstrous schemes and it's time they listened to the public."

Another protest, with the theme of a Mad Hatters Tea Party, is being staged with the support of the National Union for Teachers. The date is still to be confirmed.

After the protest, Share spokesman Ian Holme said: "Everyone is expressing their grievances at how the council has mishandled issues and misrepresented the public.

"We have collected many hundreds of signatures for our petition and everyone who passed the demonstration stopped to give their support. The public response was just brilliant."

He added: "As long as the council continues with their proposals, we will continue to fight them."

Meanwhile, Hurworth School's chairman of governors has received a response to a letter he sent to Prime Minister Tony Blair, who is also MP for Sedgefield, which says he cannot intervene with the council's plans.

Signed by Mr Blair, the letter says: "As a local MP, I know what a good school Hurworth is, its strong local reputation and how highly parents and children value its education.

"I should say that my influence in school reorganisations is no different to any other constituency MP.

"It has long been the position that these decisions are made locally and without the involvement of ministers."