A petition demanding that the government revoke article 50 and cancel Brexit has gone viral nationally, with numbers rising by the hour - we’ve taken a look at the response in our area.

The petition titled ‘Revoke Article 50 and remain in the EU’ has attracted nearly six million signatures in the past week.

Signups have come in so thick and fast that the government’s server hosting the petition crashed, several times, prompting Parliament’s petitions committee to tweet that is the highest rate of signing the site has ever had to handle.

“Between 80,000 and 100,000 people have been simultaneously viewing the petition to revoke article 50,” said the committee in a follow-up tweet.

“Nearly 2,000 signatures are being completed every minute.”

At time of writing, 3,774 people in Hitchin and Harpenden had signed the petition, but MP Bim Afolami is against the idea, saying: “I do not support any move to unilaterally revoke Article 50.

“Such a move would be highly undemocratic and would cause irreparable damage to public trust in our democracy.

“I want to avoid a ‘No Deal’ Brexit and I have been clear that I could never support such an outcome.

“But if we want to prevent a ‘No Deal’ Brexit or a lengthy extension to Article 50 then we need to pass a deal by April 12.

“That’s why I’ve been backing the Prime Minister’s Withdrawal Agreement and why I will continue to do so.”

Just 1,511 of 96,410 constituents in Stevenage have signed the petition.

In the referendum, almost 60 per cent of the more than 45,000 who turned up voted to leave.

In North East Hertfordshire, 2,525 constituents have signed the petition, while 2,070 in Mid Bedfordshire and 2,293 in North East Bedfordshire have put their name down.

In a post on his website, North East Beds MP Alistair Burt said: “I have received a considerable number of emails today asking me to vote to revoke Article 50.

“I am not persuaded that revoking Article 50 is the best current option.

“Despite voting to remain in the EU, I believe it is now in the UK’s best interests to leave, with an agreement, which ensures the chance of a good relationship with the EU in the future.

“I would have wished the result of the referendum to be different, but it was not and I cannot simply ignore it.

“I do not believe we can put that genie back in the bottle, instead I think the best opportunity for the UK and the EU to have a new future acceptable to the vast majority of the British people is as above.”