A pensioner from Bexley has started a petition after being charged for ringing the police.

Brenda Harding, of Bridgen Road, was up late on December 15 because she could not sleep.

She heard banging and found a young man, possibly drunk, standing at her front porch shouting.

She tried to call 999, but he disappeared before she got through so she called the non-emergency 101 number instead.

Mrs Harding, 75, said: "We get told not to bother 999 with non-emergencies, and after calling the number I have saved for the local police station I was told to call 101.

"I must have been ringing through for 15 minutes but I got no reply.

"The next morning I tried again and again. I must have called them three times because I was charged 45p."

Calls to 101 from both landline and mobile networks cost 15p, no matter the time of day or how long you call for.

The cost of the call does not go to police or the government, with all 15p going to the telephone provider.

Mrs Harding said: "It's not the 15p, it is the principle. I'd bet a lot of people don't know they are being charged, and the money is not going to the police.

"We are told to not call 999, which is free, but they want us to call 101 which is not - I think it is wrong. It is the number they want us to use, and the problem is people just don't know."

Mrs Harding has since started a petition calling for the number to be free.

She said: "We just shouldn't be charged for calling 101 when that is what we are told to do and the other numbers are free."

Once a petition reaches 10,000 signatures, the government will respond. The petition can be found here.

While campaigning to raise awareness for 101 last year, the Home Office said: "Launched in 2012, it now covers all police forces across the UK, and has replaced individual forces’ local numbers.

"A call to 101 costs just 15 pence no matter how long your call is. Not only is this cheaper than some forces’ local numbers, the single rate for every call means you know exactly how much your call will cost."