Chancellor Gordon Brown has held secret talks with farmers near York in an effort to avoid another fuel strike.

The Government is insisting it is not going to cave in to protesters who paralysed the country by blocking fuel depots.

But Prime Minister Tony Blair is desperate to avoid a further showdown with hauliers, farmers and rural motorists.

Mr Brown met the farmers near York on Friday and later held talks with 15 hauliers in Leeds.

The Treasury said such meetings were routine before the Pre-Budget Report which is normally in the middle of November, but is expected to be brought forward to the end of this month.

A spokeswoman said: "The meetings are all private. He has spoken to pensioners, hauliers and farmers. He does that as a matter of course."

The 60-day deadline set by hauliers to resolve the dispute has about a month to run.

It is understood Ben Gill, Easingwold-based president of the National Farmers' Union, attended the discussions.

A spokeswoman for the NFU said that farmers would like to see a reduction in fuel costs, whether that was targeted just at farmers or rural areas, or across the board.

The other main issue which they wanted to be addressed was the effect of the Government's economic strategy on the British farming industry.