A PROTEST group staged a candlelit vigil outside Crewe Law Courts on Friday evening.

Members of the South Cheshire branch of Dads UK gathered last week to highlight the issue of parent's rights.

Organiser Richard Warner said the vigil was designed to bring to light what he claims to be an unfair family justice system that tears families apart.

Mr Warner, aged 29, split up with his partner last year, and has since been kept apart from his three-year-old son after his former partner moved away.

He went to the courts to fight for access, but was kept from seeing his son for months while the slow process was played out.

Called Candles 4 Kids, the event was aimed at highlighting the difficulties faced by many parents up and down the country.

Mr Warner said: "We just wanted to get the message across the public and show the Government and politicians that we are here.

"The family laws have been destroyed in this country and the courts do not help at all in keeping the parents together with their children.

"It's not just for dads, it's for mothers, grandparents, aunties, uncles, stepfathers, anyone who has been separated from their family.

"We would like to hear the politicians talk more about it as we feel it would be a good election issue."