SCORES of campaigners from north Essex attended a rally inWestminster calling on Essex County Council to scrap its controversial partnight lighting scheme.

The event attracted more than 100 people from across the county, including about 60 protestors from Colchester, Clacton and Harwich.

The campaigners marched up and down Whitehall calling on the Government to intervene in the dispute.

They want pressure put on Essex County Council to reverse part-night lighting – which sees the majority of streetlights switched off between midnight and 5am – and keep the county’s streetlights on all night.

It comes a day after Essex Highways chief Rodney Bass announced lights would not be switched off until 1am for six days a week, beginning on Monday.

Dave Harris, an Essex county councillor and Colchester councillor, who attended the event, said: “We have made our voices heard and now I just hope they listen to that.”

Julie Young, leader of the Labour group on Essex County Council, added: “We believe we got our message across.

“People are saying ‘this is an Essex decision’, and it is, but they would not have to be making these decisions if local government was taking such a cut in its funding, which is the responsibility of Government, hence why were outside the Houses of Parliament.”