A succession of strikes accompanied by rioting in the north of England. The agitation began as a protest by Staffordshire miners against cuts in wages, but spread to industries in other parts of the country. The men involved went from factory to factory, removing the boiler plugs from steam engines so that these could not be operated by anyone else. There were also attempts to use the strike as a weapon to compel the government to accept the Chartist petition. Hundreds of strikers were arrested and the ringleaders were transported to Australia.