A controversial protest march to the edge of the hotel where world leaders will gather for the G8 summit has finally got under way.

Thousands of campaigners set off at exactly 2.15pm toward the luxury Gleneagles Hotel in Perthshire - more than two hours later than expected. After a short rally at a park in the nearby town of Auchterarder, around 4,000 marchers made their way to the perimeter fence where they hoped to make their voices heard.

Thousands of police have been drafted in from around the UK amid fears of trouble and officers wearing riot gear were on standby. At the head of the march were human rights lawyer Aamer Anwar, Scottish Socialist Party leader Colin Fox, Rose Gentle, whose son Gordon was killed in Iraq, G8 Alternatives organiser Gill Hubbard and Respect MP George Galloway. They were all chanting: "We want peace."