THE close of nominations for General Election hopefuls on Tuesday brought a seventh candidate for the Bridgwater and West Somerset seat.

Bob Cudlipp, who lives in Bridgwater, is standing as an Independent for the constituency.

He will face Ian Liddell-Grainger, who won the seat for the Conservatives in 2001 taking over from veteran Tory, Lord King.

Also lining up in the challenge are Theo Butt-Philip for the Liberal Democrats, Charles Graham for the Green Party, Kathy Pearce for Labour, Peter Hollings for UKIP and Donna Treanor for the BNP.

Just four candidates will contest the newly formed Taunton Deane constituency, whose boundaries have been realigned, with voters in the parishes of Exford, Exmoor Withypool, Hawkridge, Brompton Regis, Bury, Huish Champflower, Skilgate, Upton, Exton, Winsford, Cutcombe, Brushford and Dulverton now in Bridgwater and West Somerset.

Jeremy Browne will be hoping to retain the new-look seat for the Liberal Democrats but will face a fight from Conservative Mark Formosa, Labour's Martin Jevon and Tony McIntyre for UKIP.

However, Mr Formosa pulled out of active campaigning last weekend to be at the bedside of his critically ill mother in Cornwall.

In his absence, the Tories have drafted in Lord King who will take the place of their Taunton candidate at a number of hustings in the constituency.