Most weekends thousands of revellers leave their mark on Maidstone with bottles, kebab trays and vomit. But shoppers who head in on a Sunday morning have little idea that thousands of people were out on the streets.

Such is the draw of the town's nightlife that clubbers arrive by the bus load on a Saturday night, pre-loaded with alcohol, heading for pubs and clubs, before spilling out on to the streets again when venues close.

By day, police, CCTV and those with MaidSafe radios, which keep businesses in touch with each other, all work together to keep the town ticking along.

By night there is a different army of volunteers out on the streets keeping people safe.

They include street pastors, volunteers from local churches who patrol as good samaritans, giving up their Saturday nights.

Between the group of 10, which have support from prayer pastors, they have seen some sights but do not judge.

Heading out from their base at the Switch Cafe, the team approach those who may be vulnerable, from young girls who are alone to people who are particularly drunk or the homeless. They are trained to handle a range of issues, including sexual and mental health.

Pastor Emma Clark said: “The town is different at night. They are all somebody’s sons or daughters and if they were yours you’d want to know they are going to get home safe. It is a small price to pay for us to come out to do this.”

Colleague Michelle Shehan added: “We want people to come into Maidstone and feel safe.”

They work in teams of two women and one man and pick up glass bottles, so they are not used as weapons, and hand out a range of items from their famous flip-flops (for when clubbing feet can take no more) to lollipops, which surprisingly help defuse tension. On just one Saturday, they collect 137 bottles and gave out nine space blankets, seven pairs of flip-flops, five sick bags and 17 bottles of water.

They regularly raise the issue of the lack of public toilets, as they find people urinating in alleys and corners – and occasionally in full view.

A fight down by the River Medway, a homeless young man in a doorway in Gabriels Hill and a drunk man staggering into the road are all par for the course on a shift. Back at base, prayer pastors pray for them.

Tony Walsh, who has volunteered for five years, said: “I just felt there was something I could do to get the Church out of the church and on to the street.”

They work with door staff, and the equally dedicated team on the Urban Blue Bus, which parks on Jubilee Square on Saturdays and some Friday nights. First aid trained, the team's work saved 49 ambulance call-outs in the first six months of 2014.

The teamwork which goes into running the town smoothly both day and night, and which helped earn Purple Flag status, is what makes it such an attractive place, says town centre manager Bill Moss.

“We have the attractions, plus the clubs and pubs to bring people in. With success comes responsibility. That is why we work so very hard and so closely with the venues and other services to make Maidstone a caring place.

“We want people to come here and feel they’re being looked after. It is a town of two halves and they make a whole. They gel together.”

For police, day and night need different responses. Insp Jody Gagan-Cook, in charge of the community safety unit, said: “By day, our focus is very much around retail crime and the homeless population. We are working with shopkeepers to reduce offences, identify offenders and deal with spontaneous incidents.”

But at night, she said: "If we sense the potential for trouble we can use powers to disperse people and direct them to leave the town centre. Removing the problem means we can prevent people becoming victims of crime.”

The work of the street cleaning team from Maidstone council, which often goes unnoticed, is the glue holding the two halves of the town together.

Starting at 4.30am and finishing only when the town is clean, they empty bins, use high pressure hoses for “pavement pizzas” - otherwise known as vomit - and blow litter into the road for cleaners to sweep up.

Times have changed for foreman Steve Smith who has been doing the job for 40 years. “The work was all by hand and there were no nightclubs in town. It is harder than it used to be. It’s a changing world. Some Saturday nights it gets like the OK Corral with people fighting. There’s also quite a lot of vomit. Years ago you used to get the odd bit, but since the clubs are open it’s so much worse.”

John Edwards, waste and street scene officer, said: “If you come in to do your shopping and you don’t see any mess, it’s because these guys are doing their job.”

There are some 35,000 people in the town centre on an average Saturday, between 9am and 5pm, according to figures from the Maidstone Town Team, and at least 6,500 people at night. The night-time economy generates about £60 million each year.