STUDENT protesters clashed with police during ugly scenes in Westminster today as MPs voted to treble university tuition fees.

Protesters attacked a number of Government buildings near the House of Commons, smashing windows at the Treasury and the Supreme Court, vandalising statues in Parliament Square, including that of Winston Churchill, and damaging shops on Oxford Street.

And the Rolls-Royce limousine taking Prince Charles and Camilla to the Royal Variety Performance was daubed with paint and a window cracked as it travelled down Regent Street.

The Government won the vote by a majority of 21 as many Liberal Democrats rebelled against their coalition Government or abstained.

Thousands of demonstrators laid siege to the Houses of Parliament with twenty people being arrested.

A police spokesman said 43 protesters were taken to hospital, with 36 being taken by ambulance.

Scotland Yard added that 12 police officers were also injured, with six needing hospital treatment.

Students marched from universities and colleges across London, converging at Trafalgar Square before marching on to Parliament.

The crowd was mainly made up of students, but lecturers, parents and other members of the public also joined the throng.

Trade union banners were evident among the crowd including Unison, the Rail Maritime and Transport union and the Public and Commercial Services union.

As scuffles continued to break out, police began using the controversial tactic of "kettling" protesters in Parliament Square.

Yesterday students in Blackburn and Preston held demonstrations in a final push to persuade MPs to vote against plans to raise fees to £9,000 a year.

Conservative MPs Jake Berry (Rossendale & Darwen) and Andrew Stephenson (Pendle) and Lib Dem Gordon Birtwistle (Burnley) were due to vote for the increase.

Labour MPs Jack Straw (Blackburn) and Graham Jones (Hyndburn) pledged to vote against.

Ribble Valley Tory MP Nigel Evans was not voting due to his role as deputy speaker.

The president of Blackburn College’s Student Union, Michael East, said: “I condemn the violence in London."

But he vowed to continue a peaceful campaign in East Lancashire.

He said: “The Government does not care about the poor or the working classes. It will leave a lot of people in a lot of debt."