A Sussex couple whose son is serving in Iraq joined a protest against the war with the families of soldiers killed in the conflict.

Neville and Gabrielle, from Bexhill, attended a ceremony yesterday at the Cenotaph in London's Whitehall, led by a lone piper.

A wreath was laid and a petition delivered to 10 Downing Street calling for the withdrawal of British troops and for Prime Minister Tony Blair to meet the families of those killed.

Requests for a meeting with Mr Blair to answer questions about the war and its aftermath have so far been refused.

Neville, 52, who asked for his surname to be withheld because of fears his opposition to the war could cause difficulties for his son, is backing calls for soldiers to be withdrawn from the region.

He said: "We are going to London in support of families who have paid the ultimate price for this disastrous conflict in Iraq.

"Blair is keeping his head in the sand because he doesn't want to face up to the consequences of his bad decision to go to war.

"I want to see him held to account in British courts for failing in his duty of care for British troops."

The father-of-two, whose son has been serving in Iraq for "a number of years", accused the Government of deceit over Saddam's alleged weapons of mass destruction, which were used to the justify the invasion of Iraq in 2003.

He said troops were deployed "recklessly" with poor planning, which exposed soldiers to unnecessary danger.

About 50 family members met MPs to detail their concerns about the conflict in Iraq.

A spokesman for Military Families Against The War said: "It has been three years since the supposed end of the war, yet the Government has not commemorated the deaths of soldiers in any way."

More than 100 British troops have lost their lives in operations in Iraq.

During the war itself, which began on 20 March, 2003, 33 British soldiers were killed.