Protestors have been spotted at multiple Kent landmarks today as part of a nationwide stunt.

Campaigners were seen in Dover, Aylesford, Folkestone, Margate and Broadstairs as the fight for more paternity leave for UK fathers, which has been described as the worst in Europe, heats up.

Iconic locations such as the White Cliffs of Dover and Blue Bell Hill viewpoint were taken over, with baby grows sporting the words “Two weeks isn’t enough” hung up on makeshift clothing lines erected at the sites.

The stunt aims to draw attention to research claiming 45% of UK fathers experience multiple symptoms of depression or anxiety after having a baby, with the government under pressure to offer more paid time off for new dads.

Paul Lomax, a Folkestone dad-of-two, described the current rules as “woefully inadequate”.

He said: “When we had our second child I wanted to take advantage of shared parental leave, but for various reasons it was way too complicated and whilst HR at the company I worked for at the time were supportive, I felt discriminated against by my senior board level peers, who had all had kids years before I did, with just two weeks off.

“I'd just got a big bonus, so I was in the very privileged position to just leave. So I left when our baby was about four months old and took two months off as a stay-at-home dad.

“It had a massive impact on how well I was able to bond with our second child, and of course took a lot off my wife's shoulders.

“Both our children were bottle fed so I was able to share nighttime feeds as well.”

Employees are able to take one or two weeks of paid leave.

This applies if they are having a baby, adopting a child or having a baby through a surrogacy agreement.

The rules also apply for same-sex couples.

The government either pays £187.18 a week or 90% of an employee's average weekly earnings - whichever amount is lower.

Some companies will offer their own deals as part of benefits packages to staff - but many firms may not be able to afford their own schemes.

If you are self-employed, you have no rights to statutory paternity leave at all.

In contrast, Norway allocates 15 weeks of parental leave exclusively for dads - and it is paid at more than 90% of the average salary.

In the UK, less than a fifth of the average salary is paid.

Alex Lloyd Hunter, co-founder of The Dad Shift, said: “The UK’s rubbish paternity leave is trashing dads’ mental health.

“Fathers are being forced back to work before they're ready and when they’re needed most.

“These men are caught between the stress of keeping their families afloat financially, trying to be there for their partners and new babies, and the demand to perform at work as if nothing has changed.

“They have little choice but to suffer in silence and try to soldier on, even if it breaks them.”

Fathers will also form a “family-friendly picket line” at the Department of Business and Trade from 4pm on June 11 - just days before Fathers Day – as well as making a point of doing school pickup on the same day at schools and nurseries across the country.