Rush hour traffic on the A1 and M18 motorways in South Yorkshire was brought a standstill on Friday, when the Countryside Action Network staged a "go-slow" protest against the planned ban on hunting with dogs.

Similar demonstrations were held on roads in Cambridge, Manchester and South Wales, but caused little disruption.

The action followed a re-enactment of the 1949 protests by the Union of Country Sport Workers in Westminster earlier in the week.

The Countryside Alliance immediately distanced itself from Friday's protest.

"We understand the protests today are organised by the Countryside Action Network and are nothing to do with the Countryside Alliance," said chief executive Richard Burge.

"If the reports are true, then we are critical of these actions which appear to be designed to inconvenience the general public rather than gain support for a cause

"Public support and the weight of public opinion is the greatest ally of rural Britain at this time, and actions which undermine that support are therefore counter productive.

"These protests are therefore nothing to do with the Countryside Alliance and do not have our endorsement".

However, a spokesman for the Network claimed that all protestors were members of the Countryside Alliance and welcomed their actions, but considered them too "polite".

"New Labour only listens to the people who can cause it most grief and at the moment on this issue that is their backbenchers," he said.

"But we can cause the government far more grief than that. We are looking to be more activist although we intend to stay within the law. Activism has tended to be associated with anti-hunt groups.

"We will not be armed with baseball bats and wear masks but we can cause fare more chaos than them because we can do it more intelligently. What we've done today is just a taster of what we can do in the future if people don't listen."

The League Against Cruel Sports condemned the Network's actions.

"The hunters are again showing a complete lack of respect for the public who are trying to get on with their daily lives," said chief executive Douglas Batchelor.

"It is typical of the attitude they show when hunting across other people's land. Britain is a democratic country and it should be possible for hunt campaigners to lobby decision-makers and make clear their views without causing inconvenience to the rest of the country.

"We fear that these protests will continue to grow as parliament moves ever closer to implementing the clear wish of the public - to bring an end to the cruelty of hunting with dogs."