A Kent MP has weighed in on the debate about safe standing in football grounds in the top two divisions, supporting the potential for reform.

Folkestone and Hythe's Damian Collins spoke on BBC's Watchdog last night (Wednesday May 23) to talk about its viability in his role as chair of the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport select committee.

Standing in club grounds of the Premier League and Championship were first banned in 1989 by the Football Spectators' Act following the Hillsborough disaster of April that year.

The human crush claimed 96 Liverpool fans lives.

But a recent successful petition signed by more than 110,000 people has been submitted to government to reconsider safe-standing options in England.

The issue is a controversial one, dividing both fans and club managers, but options like rail seating are already being used in clubs across Europe and at Celtic.

Its design allows the rails, protecting those standing up from falling forwards or backwards, to be turned into seating with an Allen key.

Speaking to former Labour politician Ed Balls on the programme, Mr Collins said: "The government's concern is understandable because the changes that were bought in in the 80s were bought in for a reason.

"But I think things have moved on a lot since then.

"You've either got to have a system where you have safe standing with barriers or you have proper stewarding of the grounds to stop people standing.

"At the moment we have the worst of all worlds which is unsafe standing in large areas of football grounds.

"I think we should get rid of the blanket ban on standing in football stadiums now.

"If the fans and the club owners want to see safe standing in their grounds, I think we should allow it on a club by club basis."

Safe-standing in top tier stadiums will be debated in Parliament on Monday June 25.