Adam Thorniley and 11 of his pals - armed with placards and air horns - peacefully picketed Sudlow Fruit Farm's Northwich Road shop for three hours in protest at farmer Robert Brunt.

Despite being told to disperse by police after they confronted Mr Brunt at his house, three of the boys - Adam, James Millard and Charlie Stevens - were given the £60 they claim they should have been paid for weeding a strawberry field.

"We're happy but it was a bit of a long process to get our £60," said A-level student Adam. "It's not as if he was talking about thousands.

"But it was more the principle than anything."

Although Mr Brunt has stumped up, on Monday he still insisted they'd not done the work they'd agreed to do.

The dispute began when the three turned up at Sudlow Farm to pick raspberries.

Mr Brunt told them he had enough workers so signed them up for weeding duty.

"They also agreed that none of this sum was to be paid if any part of the job was unfinished," he said.

"That is because young people sometimes tend to get bored and wander off, then we have the job of getting someone else to finish the work."

During the day Mr Brunt and his foreman checked their work and by 4pm he was so satisfied that he promised them a £30 bonus.

An hour later, however, Mr Brunt had changed his mind.

He claimed the far part of the field had not been weeded and would have to be finished the next day if they wanted their cash.

Dissatisfied parents and the boys first turned up at Mr Brunt's farmhouse that evening but left empty-handed after a heated row.

Converted for the new archive on 13 March 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.