Floods and fuel seem to define our lives at present.

The two come together in the latest development regarding the truckers' convoy which is planning to drive slowly from Jarrow to London, and had intended to pass through York on the way.

The fuel protesters staging this diesel crusade have been now prevented from entering the flood-damaged city centre of York. North Yorkshire Police has been awarded a court injunction to keep the protest convoy on dual carriageways.

As we were saying on Tuesday, the last thing York needs at present is a slow-moving procession of lorries to make life even more difficult.

However, it is a pity that the police had to go so far as seeking a court injunction. As it happens, the truckers have yielded to common sense and recognised that their prescence in York would have been unwanted at this time. Bringing yet more disruption to York would have only alienated support for the People's Fuel Lobby.

For their part, it is a shame the police had to seek refuge in the powers of the State. If you use the law to ban a protest, there is always the danger of giving the protesters more importance than they deserve.

Fuel will remain a potent political issue in the run-up to the General Election, which is expected some time next year.

Gordon Brown yesterday attempted to stem the protest with a typically complex series of concessions to the fuel protesters. The measures he announced amounted to a clever package that gave back a little without sacrificing his hard-won reputation for prudence.

Whether or not the Chancellor has done enough to head off further fuel protests remains unclear.

The People's Fuel Lobby is not satisfied, declaring that the Jarrow convoy is still on, and refusing to rule out further protests some time after Christmas.

So it looks as though this messy business will rumble on into the New Year.