Less than a third know who their MEPs are

Just 28 per cent of people questioned could name any of the seven representatives who cover Shropshire and Wales.

The vast majority said they had never even heard of their MEP, let alone had any dealings with them.

The survey, by the Shropshire Star, asked if people knew the names of any of their Euro MPs.

Of around 400 who replied, in person and online, 78 per cent failed the test.

The West Midlands region, which covers Shropshire, is represented by seven MEPs, namely Tories Philip Bradbourn, Malcolm Harbour and Anthea McIntyre, Michael Cashman of Labour, Phil Bennion for the Lib Dems, Independent Mike Nattrass and Nikki Sinclaire of the We Demand A Referendum Now Party .

The four Welsh MEPs are Tory Dr Kay Swinburne, Labour's Derek Vaughan, Jill Evans of Plaid Cymru and John Bufton of UKIP.

The results illustrate the difficulty politicians are having selling the Euro elections to the British public.

Voters will be asked to vote for a party on May 22 rather than an individual and a group of MEPs will share responsibility for the whole region.

UKIP is expected to pick up seats as people use the elections to make a protest vote.

Experts at political analysts Democratic Audit UK today predicted the party is likely to finish first in the West Midlands, picking up at least two and perhaps three seats, while the Conservatives remain stable and Labour recover at the expense of the Liberal Democrats.

The organisation's managing editor Sean Kippin said: "This region is one of the country's most political diverse, with large cities traditionally friendly to Labour, and rural areas like Shropshire hospitable to the Conservative Party.

"The region is seen as crucial in deciding UK elections and is fiercely contested at local, national, and European level."

More than seven out of 10 of those questioned in the poll claimed they would vote in the election, although most pundits predict a turnout similar to the 35 per cent experienced in 2009.