A petition calling on the government to tackle a shortage of midwives has topped 100,000 signatures following a vigil staged in Colchester – and around the country – last weekend.

The milestone means that the UK Parliament’s petitions committee will now consider whether a debate on midwives’ working conditions – as well as the budget provided for maternity services – can be debated in the House of Commons.

It follows a nationwide campaign from the March with Midwives movement, which petitioned for more signatures throughout vigils staged up and down the country last Sunday.

The current number of signatures on the petition has now topped 115,000.

The organiser for Colchester’s March with Midwives vigil, Karen Fiddes, said there was plenty of work still to be done now that a debate could be secured in the Houses of Parliament.

She said: “The petition has brought the issues we’re facing to the government’s attention – it means a lot to us because it means our services have a voice in parliament, but the pledge of 1200 new midwives isn’t going to cut it.

“We need 3500 midwives, and at the current retention rate it would take us 50 years to get that number into the system.”

She added that the March with Midwives’ steering group had managed to raise the issue in person with Iain Duncan-Smith, the former leader of the Conservative party.

Still Mrs Fiddes added: “This petition means we now have a voice in a big place.

“Hopefully it will bring a lot of issues to the fore.”