A petition against Kingsnorth power station was due to be handed to the Government today.

It had originally been planned to hand over the protest, with more than 1,600 signatures opposing plans to build a new coal-fired power station at Kingsnorth on Tuesday.

The petition, which has been compiled by the Kingsnorth Climate Action Medway (KCAM) group, will be handed over to Ed Miliband, the energy and climate change secretary, by Medway Labour MP Bob Marshall-Andrews.

Hundreds of people living on The Hoo Peninsula, where the planned power station is to be built, have signed it.

Mr Miliband is expected to announce a decision on whether the plant will be built by the end of the year.

KCAM hope Mr Miliband will respond formally to the objections raised by the signatories, as they say it will have a negative impact on climate change.

Justin Geiss, a member of the group who also lives in Medway, said: “I’m really appalled by the idea that we might end up with a huge new polluting Kingsnorth coal power station.

“A new plant at Kingsnorth would emit enormous amounts of climate-changing carbon emissions - over six million tonnes per year.”

Mr Marshall-Andrews said: “Not only would dirty new Kingsnorth coal make it virtually impossible for the UK to reach its carbon emissions reductions targets, it would leave us in a very weak position when it comes to influencing the hugely important climate change talks at Copenhagen in December.”

“I am pleased that so many residents feel so strongly about this issue which, although of global importance, involves a decision that is taking place on our very doorstep. It is right that so many people are speaking out about this crucial issue.

“The UK needs to be investing for the long run, and that means creating low carbon sustainable jobs and not pushing ahead with dirty and polluting unabated coal power.”

Opposition has been mounting across the country against the introduction of new coal power stations.

In July this year, more than 1,000 protesters from groups as wide-ranging as the Women’s Institute, the RSPB and the World Development Movement joined forces in a demonstration at the existing Kingsnorth plant to show their opposition to the plans.