Late night revellers will be watched over by guardian angels in Canterbury city centre on Saturday nights following the launch of a new street pastor scheme.

They church-led group, which has the backing of Kent police and the city council, deployed a team for the first time last weekend and a report a successful first night patrolling into the early hours.

The volunteers, who have been trained with the help of Canterbury Salvation Army, were out from 10am until 4pm armed with a ‘survival kit’ including flip flops for girls who are falling off their high heels, bottles of water, blankets and tissues.

Chairman of the new group, Andrew Fitzgerald, who is associate minister of Canterbury Baptist Church, said it was an eventful but undramatic first night for the team.

He said: "Some of the group were a little fearful as to what we would encounter and how we would be received, but it actually went very well.

"People were generally very friendly and inquisitive and wanted to chat. We handed out some flip flops and water and helped one guy, who had obviously had a bad night and managed to put his hand through a window.

"We found another young woman from London who had come down to meet friends but had a falling out and was on her own waiting for the early bus home in the morning. We gave her a blanket and asked the CCTV operators to keep a special eye on her."

Already 14 volunteers have joined the group and received special training with the help of Maj Chris Sands and co-ordinator Josh Benn, who runs the Lighthouse Project at the Baptist Church.

Wearing distinctive jackets and hats, they will patrol the city’s hot spots on three out of four Saturday nights during the month but hope to increase the patrols as their numbers grow.

For more information email canterbury@streetpastors.org.uk