There could be light at the end of the tunnel for campaigners fighting to have street lamps switched back on in the early hours.

The deadline for signing the e-petition Right to Light is fast approaching, and numbers suggest it is close to sparking a full debate among Kent County Council members.

Although the official online figure on KCC’s website stands at just over 990 signatures, campaigner Tina Brooker has been told that those who have also signed a Kent-based petition on the 38 degrees campaign website as well as numerous countywide paper petitions can be added to the total.

More than 3,000 names have been added to the 38 degrees petition and about 4,000 on paper.

Right to Light calls for street lights to be reinstated while KCC carries out detailed consultation and risk assessments aided by professional bodies.

Council chiefs introduced their Safe and Sensible lighting initiative in April last year.

It involved switching off about 70,000 of the county’s 120,000 street lights between midnight and 6.30am in a bid to save £1 million as well as cut down on carbon emissions and pollution levels.

Those against the scheme have long criticised the council’s public consultation, to which just 546 Kent resident’s responded out of a population of just under 1.5million, with 410 in support of the switch-off.

At least 10,000 signatures must be collected to trigger a full debate, and give Miss Brooker the chance to speak directly to members at a full council meeting at County Hall in Maidstone.

The 52-year-old, who lives in The Warren, Gravesend, said: “This isn’t a political issue, it’s about personal safety and there’s nothing more important than that. All the political parties should realise that.

“I feel quite humbled to be going to KCC with thousands of voices when KCC based their decision to switch-off street lights on just on 410.

“It is clear cut. The overall majority want their lights on. How can KCC ignore that?”

If the 10,000 target is not reached, anything between 2,500 and 9,999 signatures will trigger a discussion by the appropriate cabinet committee.

KCC has always maintained that the initiative would be reviewed and any impact from crime or road safety on unlit streets will be taken into account.

The Right to Light petition deadline is February 10. To sign, search KCC petitions and select Right to Light under the link ‘Browse all current e-petitions’.