TENS of thousands of people in Dorset have signed a petition calling on the government to halt the Brexit process.

They were among 3.4million who had signed the petition to revoke Article 50 and remain in the European Union as of 6pm yesterday.

Today, hundreds of supporters of a second EU referendum were due to leave Dorset for the Put It to the People march in Central London. Thirteen coaches were expected to take people from pickup points between Weymouth and Southampton.

The petition calling for Brexit to be called off is the second most popular ever seen on Parliament’s website. But Theresa May ruled out cancelling the countdown during her visit to Brussels on Thursday, telling reporters: “I do not believe that we should be revoking Article 50.”

As of 6pm yesterday, the petition website was displaying 36,252 Dorset signatories to the petition. But locations were only showing for 1.3m of the 3.4m signatories, and Parliament’s petitions committee said automatic updates to the totals had been disabled to improve the site’s operation.

Last night, the Dorset constituency with the most signatories to the Revoke Article 50 petition was West Dorset, with 6,437 – or 6.6 per cent of the electorate. The area’s MP, Sir Oliver Letwin, has been behind moves to put MPs in charge of the Brexit process.

The Dorset seat with the second highest number of petition signatories is Bournemouth East, with 5,338, or 4.99 per cent of the electorate. Its MP, defence minister Tobias Ellwood, put his government job on the line to oppose a ‘no deal’ Brexit.

North Dorset attracted 4,588 signatures (4.71 per cent). Its MP, Simon Hoare, supported Remain but became an advocate of Theresa May’s Brexit deal.

Bournemouth West, whose MP Conor Burns is a keen Brexiteer and close associate of Boris Johnson, attracted 4,412 signatures (4.31 per cent).

Poole had 4,406 signatures (4.51 per cent). Its MP, Sir Robert Syms, is a Brexit supporter who was persuaded to back the prime minister’s deal the second time it came before the Commons.

South Dorset had 3,833 signatories (4.16 per cent). The seat, which was held by Labour from 2001-10, is represented by Brexit supporter Sir Richard Drax, who did not vote when Mrs May’s deal last came before the Commons.

Mid Dorset and North Poole generated 3,811 signatures (4.67 per cent). The seat was held by the Liberal Democrats from 2001-15 and is now represented by Michael Tomlinson, a member of the Brexit-supporting European Research Group.

Christchurch – whose Brexit-backing MP Sir Christopher Chope has said he would even consider voting with the opposition in a no-confidence motion – attracted 3,427 signatures (4.02 per cent).

Across the county border in New Forest West, 4,203 signed the petition (4.93 per cent of the electorate). MP Sir Desmond Swayne is a Brexit supporter who backed the prime minister’s withdrawal agreement last time.

The official website has crashed numerous times since the petition leapt in popularity following the prime minister’s Brexit statement on Wednesday, with MPs and celebrities publicly backing the appeal.