LONDON (AP) — Several hundred people protested yesterday after Italian and Portuguese workers arrived at a refinery project in northern England.

About 800 people demonstrated peacefully near Total's Lindsey Oil Refinery in North Killinghome, in Lincolnshire, on the east coast 200 miles north of London, police said. A day earlier, hundreds of construction workers walked out to protest the arrival of the Italian and Portuguese crews.

Total said the Italian firm IREM was the successful bidder for the contract to build a new unit at the refinery, and that no other workers had been laid off as a result.

"It's a total mockery," said Bernard McAuley, regional representative for the Unite union. "There are men here whose fathers and uncles have worked at this refinery, built this refinery from scratch. It's outrageous."

Acknowledging the protests, Total said "we recognise the concerns of contractors but it is important to note that there will be no direct redundancies as a result of this contract being awarded to IREM.

"We have been a major local employer for 40 years and have always enjoyed a good relationship with our staff and contractors," Total said. "We are disappointed they have taken this action and we hope the situation will be resolved as soon as possible and the contractors return to work."

Oil processing at the refinery, the third-largest in Britain, continued normally, it said.