Around 50 far right protesters marched towards the main entrance to the Port of Dover this lunchtime.

The marchers, some waving Union Flags, had planned to blockade the entrance to the country's busiest port, attracted there by a Facebook page called Support the Dover to Calais Truckers.

The march was organised to raise concerns over the problems truckers face from illegal immigrants trying to board their vehicles in France to get to England.

Among the protestors was Nick Griffin, the former chairman of the British National Party.

Former BNP chairman Nick Griffin

Members of other far right groups also took part in the protest. Organisers had hoped to attract between 150 and 200 marchers but ultimately only around 50 took part.

Former British National Party chairman Nick Griffin with supporters before the start of the march

They marched from the town centre to the roundabout by the port entrance, causing some delays to cars and lorries heading towards the port.

The protestors head to the Port of Dover

Some briefly staged a sit-down protest but after talks with police moved away.

Paul Pitt, head of the South East Alliance, which led the protest, said: “The reason we are here today is for the truckers. They’re getting £2,000 fines. It’s not fair. It’s not them that are breaking the law but it’s them that are being held responsible for it.

“The British truckers are the backbone of this country. We need to support them to benefit our economy. So get behind them and support these lads.”

Speaking about the presence of National Front and the BNP, he said: “I think it’s beyond that, everyone wants to put it into a little box but it’s not, it’s right across the political spectrum. We’re banding together because we want to support British workers.

“Today has been outstanding, we’ve come here and there’s been no arrests and we’ve achieved exactly what we wanted to do.”

At the planned start time of 1pm on Saturday just two protestors stood at the port entrance holding a placed reading "Support our truckers", but the rest of the marchers then joined them by the roundabout outside the entrance to the port.

The protest was, however, short-lived and by 2pm the protestors had begun to disperse.

At that point Kent Police tweeted saying: "A protest in Dover this afternoon is concluding. The event has passed with minimal disruption to Eastern & Western Docks."

There was no sign of a promised counter demonstration.

The Freight Transport Association (FTA) said no recognised trade groups supported or endorsed the blockade, although the association said it sympathised with the plight of lorry drivers using Calais to return to the UK in trying to deter stowaways from boarding their vehicles.

Kent Police said the protest at Dover Eastern Docks had "passed off peacefully", with just one person reported for summons for wilful obstruction of a highway.

Ch Supt Steve Corbishley said: "Through our Protest Liaison Officers, we were able to actively engage with the protestors to ensure we could facilitate what was a peaceful demonstration, while at the same time ensuring public safety and allowing people to go about their daily business.

"There was no disruption to both the Eastern and Western Docks and the impact on the highways around the Port of Dover was kept to a minimum during the protest."

The Port of Dover said it had remained open and in full operation, welcoming both tourist and freight customers as normal, despite the demonstration.

In a statement the Port said it had "liaised closely with Kent Police about the protest being held under the banner of supporting the truckers, which has now dispersed.

"Our primary concern remained the safety and wellbeing of our customers and community and keeping the Port and its operations open. The Port would like to thank Kent Police for its assistance in policing a peaceful protest whilst keeping the Port open."