Campaigners urging councils to switch street lights back on overnight have converged on the Houses of Parliament today.

Residents from across the south east lobbied MPs at St Stephen's Entrance from 11am.

Tina Brooker, of The Warren, Gravesend, has led the fight against Kent County Council's initiative and was among those from the county taking part.

The scheme plunged many rural and residential streets into darkness between midnight and 6.30am since December 2013.

Speaking ahead of the protest the 52-year-old said it was necessary as the issue was being swept under the carpet locally.

"We will try to call on the MPs to come out and give their views on the part-night lighting policy and how they will win our votes and help us to overturn this dangerous policy.

"We are there for the people, totally for the people who speak to us and say 'we want our lights back'.

"We are there for the people, totally for the people who speak to us and say 'we want our lights back'. - Tina Brooker

"We want to tell the members, our MPs and leaders, that people are affected by this policy and what can they do to help us to get this overturned."

Those who attended were armed with banners, placards and whistles and vowed to "make a noise".

Miss Brooker, who launched her own Right to Light campaign initially in Gravesham and then across Kent, added: "I am sad that it has come to this but I have enjoyed meeting people and hearing their stories and I just cannot believe this policy was ever introduced.

"Overnight street lighting is a basic safety measure that people require to keep their families safe. I just cannot believe it (the policy) was ever implemented."

The protest rally was organised by campaigners in Essex. Residents from Kent were urged to take part, despite council chiefs' dramatic u-turn earlier this year that it will restore all-night lighting by investing £40 million in light-emitting diode (LED) technology.

Campaigners repeatedly called on KCC to adopt such a system instead of switching off up to 70,000 lights countywide, only to be told it was too costly.

But Miss Brooker said the news that LEDs would now be used was "a smokescreen" had led people to mistakenly believe the switch-on was imminent.

They are not expected to be turned back on until at least 2017 and Miss Brooker said the need for the rally was as important as ever.

"We haven't had a timeframe on when the LEDs will be implemented or even if they will have the funding in place. We have to carry on with the campaign until we know.

"We want them back now and that's what we are trying to achieve."

"People are saying to me 'we want out lights now', not in two years, three years, four years or maybe never. We want them back now and that's what we are trying to achieve."

Lights in Miss Brooker's quiet cul-de-sac were turned off last year but lighting has since been restored to four out of the nine lamps, with no explanation.

KCC always maintained that lighting would be switched back on in areas if there was an adverse impact from crime or safety issues.

However, Miss Brooker was always told this was not the case in her neighbourhood.

She said having the light back had made a "phenomenal" difference. "You just feel safe being able to look out of the window and see what is out there in the dark. It's as simple as that."

Tomorrow Miss Brooker will have the opportunity to address members at a full council meeting at County Hall, Maidstone, after her online petition calling for lights to be restored immediately countywide registered more than 11,000 votes and triggered a debate.

Miss Brooker's speech and council discussion is due to start at 2pm and can be viewed via webcam on KCC's website.