The Demand East Midlands Airport is Now Designated (Demand) group has placed the petition on the Number 10 Downing Street website.

It wants to see a cap on the number of night-time arrivals and take-offs at the airport, similar to restrictions in place at Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted.

Government figures show 55 night flights arrive at the airport via the county's airspace per day. Airport operators say the facility has some of the strictest controls in the country and maintain recent increases have benefits for the local economy.

Mr Duncan said: "The Government by stealth is allowing a dramatic increase in night flights for no good reason.

"They changed the rules so that night flights are assessed on overall noise, rather than the number of flights, and they also changed the flight paths. This means more flights cross rural areas, where people can hear them more without the noise a big city creates.

"This is unacceptable and they must contain the main bulk of flights to waking hours."

The online petition, signed by 81 people so far, can be accessed via http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/peacefulnight.