VOTERS go to the polls today to elect an MP for Wyre Forest and 10 people to represent the district on Worcestershire County Council.

Polling stations were due to open throughout the district at 7am and will stay open until 10pm.

The count for the General Election - being fought by six candidates in Wyre Forest - will then begin at the Wyre Forest Glades Leisure Centre in Kidderminster, with a result expected at about 2.30am.

The count for the county council elections will begin the following morning at 10am and results are expected to be announced by early afternoon.

Just over 75,000 people are eligible to vote in the district, with 6,809 electors registered for postal votes for the General Election.

It promises to be one of the most exciting 24 hours in district politics since the last General Election in 2001, when Dr Richard Taylor snatched the seat from Labour with a massive majority.

Five other parties are in the race for Wyre Forest's parliamentary seat this time.

Mark Garnier, of the Conservatives, was first to declare his intention to stand in February, 2004. He was followed by Labour's Marc Bayliss and long-standing Liberal district and county councillor, Fran Oborski.

Former TV chef, Rustie Lee, pledged to "cook up a storm" for the UK Independence Party while the Monster Raving Loony Party's Bert Priest was a late entrant.

Meanwhile, 44 candidates are fighting for 10 seats in nine wards in the county council poll.

It is the first election since the ward boundaries were redrawn, giving the Wyre Forest division nine wards instead of 10.

l The Shuttle/Times & News is producing a free General Election Bulletin to give readers an early chance to read about the Wyre Forest General Election result.

The A4 sheet will be available at our offices in Blackwell Street, Kidderminster, from 9am tomorrow. It will provide all the voting figures and pictures of the winning candidate.

If readers wish to collect copies, we would appreciate a minimum donation of 25p for our Operation Covert appeal to rebuild the Rhydd Covert Scouts' activity centre.

The general and county council election results will also be posted on our website - www.thisiskidderminster.co.uk - as soon as they are available.

Next Thursday's Shuttle/Times and News will, of course, feature our usual comprehensive coverage of the elections and the results.