MARCHERS from Bury missed out on the Hyde Park anti-war rally on Saturday (Feb 15) because it was too successful.

More than 200 people filled cars and coaches hired by the Bury Stop The War Coalition for the London demo, labelled Britain's largest-ever protest.

The march against a conflict with Iraq attracted a record number of demonstrators, with estimates ranging from 750,000 to two million.

Resulting crowd pressures meant that the four coachloads of Bury marchers missed speeches at Hyde Park, the central rallying point.

The earliest parties spent more than three hours on the first leg of their route from Euston, reaching Piccadilly Circus at 4.30pm.

By the time they neared Hyde Park, events had come to a close, and coaches were due to depart for home.

Coalition secretary Geoff Brown said: "I think some people were a little disappointed, but it was a product of the demonstration's success that it was not possible to be on the march and at the rally at the same time.

"I thought it was exhilarating and a complete vindication of what we have been saying about the majority of people being against this war.

"We now aim to carry on with the pressure and get the Prime Minister to change his mind." However, some campaigners from Bury did attend the rally by leaving the main body of the march.

Kath Flood (45), of Manchester Old Road, Bury, said: "When we did get to the park it was about 5pm and there were still so many people with banners that you couldn't move."

Bury Stop The War Coalition holds its next meeting in the council chamber of Bury Town Hall at 7.30pm tomorrow (Wed Feb19).