ANTI-WAR protestors brought Rochester to a standstill when they staged a sit-down demonstration on a busy dual-carriageway.

More than 60 people brought London-bound traffic to a halt when they sat in the middle of Corporation Street.

The demonstartion took place a few hours before it was revealed that eight British servicemen had died when their American helicopter crashed in the Kuwaiti desert. They were on board a CH-46 Sea Knight aircraft as part of the invading force of allied troops involved in seizing oilfields on the Al Faw peninsula - the first major operation in the invasion of Iraq.

The protest in Rochester unfolded just after 6pm. More than 20 police officers were brought in to persuade the demonstrators to move on and return to their starting point on Star Hill.

They made their way back along the High Street banging drums, waving banners, blowing whistles and shouting their objections to allied actions in Iraq.

Officers cordoned off the surrounding streets as the group marched towards Star Hill, but one woman was detained when she broke free to try to reach the esplanade and the bridge. She was later released.

Police had deployed minibuses and a Landrover. A riot van was held in reserve at the Strood end of the bridge.

A police spokesman said the protest had not caused any problems. He added: "We have to have a police presence, purely for the safety of the public.

"Traffic was stopped but only for five or 10 minutes. We were there simply to ensure nothing unlawful was carried out," she said.