The nation will find out tonight if a team of dancers have made it to the semi-finals of Britain's Got Talent.

A group of 39 youngsters from the Mandy Ellen School of Dance, in Maidstone, are bidding to win the TV talent contest.

But this week it was not only fearsome judge Simon Cowell they had to contend with for their future in the ITV show.

Younger members of the group were almost banned from going any further after KCC unearthed an antiquated law banning under-13s from appearing live on television after 7pm.

On Monday dance school principal Mandy Ellen had to break the news that under-age girls would not be able to compete in the live shows - from the semi-final onwards - if they make it that far.

Rhiana Akoshile, 12, from Bearsted, who was so upset she had to take time off school, said: “I was really devastated and so were all the rest of my friends, we couldn’t stop crying. I couldn’t sleep. It means everything to me because we get to perform in the Royal Variety Show and get to meet the Royal family.”

However, 11 of the mothers set up camp in KCC’s Ashford offices for nearly six hours and, on Tuesday night, after tears from dancers and the intervention of the press, the issue reached the desks of KCC leader Cllr Paul Carter and chief executive Peter Gilroy, who decided the dancers could take part.

Mr Gilroy said although the council could not grant the licenses it was unlikely to take action against Talkback Thames, the company behind the show.

Chris Wells, the council’s cabinet member for children, families and educational achievement, said: “Our director of law and government called around the rest of the nine local authorities affected, we were not on our own in having to deal with this.

“Either the TV company were aware of this and ignored it or were not aware of this and should have been.”

Lisa Wilsher, whose daughter Lauren is due to perform, said: “We went back to the studios and everyone was there screaming and crying. They think we are super mums now.”

Mrs Ellen spent four hours on the phone to the children and their parents on Monday breaking the sad news.

She said: “You can imagine how awful it was, they were distraught but they are over the moon now.”

The dancers had auditioned for the show in February.

A spokeswoman for Talkback Thames said it was aware of the law and had been in discussion with KCC for months.