Thousands of Yorkshire protesters join People's Vote march

In total, 19 coaches left Yorkshire in the early hours of Saturday morning to make their way to the capital.

More than a thousand Yorkshire protesters booked places on organised coaches which were sold out, whilst the rest travelled down by train or car.

Richard Sadler, chair of North Yorkshire for Europe, said: "What we saw on Saturday was unprecedented. Never before have we seen such a response from people across the whole region.

"What's clear is that people are completely fed up with the mess that our Government has made of Brexit. They realise that it is nothing like what was promised. Nobody is going to gain if we pursue either this deal that the Prime Minster is desperately trying to push or a no-deal Brexit, which is why we need to put this back to the people.

"On Saturday we reached a tipping point. It really does feel now as though the Government has lost control and the Prime Minister no longer has authority and no longer can be trusted as being someone who speaks for the people of Yorkshire and for the rest of the country. She has lost legitimacy.

"This was an unprecedented outpouring of feeling that we cannot carry on like this. We cannot carry on with a rudderless Government that is trying to drag us out of the EU on terms and conditions that will make us all worse off, that would lead to dire consequences for businesses, for our society and would restrict our young people, take away their freedoms, that would do so much to damage prospects for people in our society.

"There is already talk of a public inquiry into this whole terrible, awful Brexit mess that we have got ourselves into as a country. We're an international embarrassment."

Louise Houghton, chair of People's Vote South West Yorkshire, was one of 200 marchers who came down from Barnsley, Wakefield and Sheffield in four coaches.

"I've never been political, but I'm so angry and feel such a sense of despairing helplessness," she said.

"People have been hoodwinked. It amazes me the Leave side has convinced people Brexit is a good idea.

"We represent a coalfields area. How have they managed to convince people the EU was the cause of austerity? A lot of ex-mining areas have benefited from EU funding."

Ms Houghton pointed out that South Yorkshire is one of five deprived areas in the UK that were due to receive £11bn of funding in the next EU programme, which will not happen if the UK leaves the EU. The EU regional funding programme would have been worth £428 per person per year for a seven year period.

"We have been left behind. The Government has stripped this area to the bone. Nobody cares about this area except the EU," she said.

Michelle Scott and her son Alistair travelled by train from Beverley to join the march.

Ms Scott said: "I think it's good to show that there is a definite movement that we do want a People's Vote - whether that be a second referendum or a vote on what the actual deal is.

"I feel that the public were hoodwinked in terms of what they were given in information nearly three years ago. People now have got more information."

Her 16-year-old son Alistair said he felt like his future has been taken from him.

"I feel like the opportunities are going to be decreased throughout all sectors. We haven't had a vote and we can't have our say. This march is what we can do to get our say and to get our voice heard," he said.

"I think among the youth there is a sense of betrayal. People voted to leave when they really did not know what they were voting for."

Frederika Roberts, the chair of Best for Doncaster, was one of more than 20 marchers to travel by train from the South Yorkshire town.

She said: "The rhetoric is that all the Remainers are in London. They say Doncaster and Yorkshire want to leave, but many people have changed their minds.

"Doncaster is an ex-mining town that has been neglected for a very long time. People are not seeing that successive Governments have continued to neglect Doncaster.

"The town has benefited a lot from EU funding. We think it would be disastrous to lose that funding. We want to be open and inclusive - not a country that closes up the drawbridge and says: 'No more'."

Julia Billington, from Ilkley, and her husband Ed were on the march with their two daughters Molly (6) and Neve (2).

Ms Billington said: "We decided to come on the march because Theresa May is not speaking for us when she says she wants to carry out the will of the people.

"The will of the million people on this march is to remain in the EU and we think there should be another referendum now people know all the facts.

"We want our children to be able to live and work in Europe and we feel strongly that our European neighbours, who are parents of British citizens, should continue to feel welcome in Britain."

Former Ukip leader Nigel Farage re-joined Leave supporting marchers on Saturday.

Asked about the March to Leave supporters being vastly outnumbered on Saturday by the Peoples Vote March in London, he pointed to the cheering marchers gathered in a pub car park and said: "There are 17.4 million here, can't you see them?"