Tories and Lib Dems braced for losses as voters make way to polls
Voters across England were going to the polls today, with the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats bracing themselves for losses following a campaign dominated by the rise of the UK Independence Party.
Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg has not ruled out coming fourth to Ukip, while Tory fears that the party will eat into their vote have led to an increasingly bitter war of words.
In Shropshire, voters are going to the polls in 57 divisions with 67 seats up for grabs.
Voting will also take place in 41 town and parish council wards, although there will be no elections at all in Whitchurch because of a lack of candidates for either the county or town council seats. In all, six county divisions will go uncontested, leaving 22,000 people without a vote. The seats in all those divisions have gone to Tory candidates.
One of the first people to vote when the county's 240 polling stations opened at 7am was Anthony Tomkinson, 60, of Market Drayton.
He said: "I always vote, otherwise I wouldn't get a say. I don't take issue with a lot of things, but certain things appeal to me and I would like to see alter. I think people that don't vote just can't be bothered."
Nationally, bookmakers are predicting Ukip candidates could scoop more than 100 seats, and Prime Minister David Cameron acknowledged that Conservatives face losing votes to Nigel Farage's party.
"Of course it's mid-term, the Government has had to make difficult decisions, we're responsible for making a series of difficult cuts and difficult choices," Mr Cameron said.
"I think people understand that but often it's not welcome."
Nearly 10,000 candidates are battling for seats at 34 English top-tier counties and unitary authorities as well as the Isle of Anglesey.
Mr Clegg appeared to be preparing the ground for his party to come behind Ukip.
"We have been beaten by Ukip before in the polls," the Deputy Prime Minister said. "What I am saying is that these things come and go in politics .Ukip beat us in 2009; a year later we won 24 per cent of the vote in the general election and Ukip were nowhere."
Labour is playing down expectations of making significant gains with sources keen to stress the local authority elections are mainly being staged in Conservative heartlands.
