A Lewisham student marched on Downing Street to urge politicians to 'stop taxing periods, period'.

Goldsmiths international studies and politics student Laura Coryton, 21, of Lewisham, visited Downing Street yesterday (March 11) to present a petition to Chancellor George Osbourne to end 'non-essential' tax on sanitary products.

Sanitary products are currently classed as a non-essential luxury item and have a 17.5% tax rate.

Ms Coryton said: "If helicopters and crocodile meat are on the list of essential tax exempt products, surely so should sanitary products that are essential to the health and livelihoods of approximately 28 million women in the UK."

Ms Coryton has led the 'stop taxing periods, period' campaign which has received the backing of more than 197,000 signatures for their petition to amend the classification on sanitary items.

If successful in the UK, Ms Coryton's goal is to persuade the top eight EU countries to support the campaign before lobbying the EU to change the tax.

She added: "Goldsmiths has given me the confidence to stand up for what is important to me.

"It has inspired me to think big and to view this issue for what it is: a global issue disadvantaging millions of people around the world and trivialising the marginalisation of issues traditionally associated with women."