With just seven days to go before the General Election, we questioned 1,000 people about how they were going to vote. Their answers reveal a city divided. Victory at the ballot is still up for grabs.

Election is just one big turn-off

Worcester News reporter John Brenan went out on the streets to ask city people what they thought of the forthcoming election.

Many people felt the election had been a turn-off, and their enthusiasm for it was lacking.

Mandy Tyler, 35, from St John's, said: "Education is the main issue for me, but it has been wicked what they have done with pensions. This election has wound me up."

Richard Williams, 50, from Barbourne, said: "This election has been a case of stay with the devil you've got, or out of the frying pan into the fire."

Sarah Steward, 34, from Lower Wick, was frustrated with the politicians, saying: "They don't actually say what they are going to do."

Graham Lee, 29, a student from St John's, brought up tuition fees: "Top up fees is an important issue - it's going to cripple many people. My sister is out in Iraq. The reasons we went to war were wrong, but I feel it was right to get rid of Saddam."

Parties battle it out for your vital votes

WORCESTER sits on a General Election knife-edge today after a city survey revealed Labour and Conservatives are running almost neck and neck.

But the future of the seat is uncertain as the majority of votes remain up for grabs - more than a quarter of people are still undecided how they will vote.

Worcester News research showed that with a week to go before election day, Labour enjoys 21 per cent backing with the Tories only two per cent behind on 19 per cent.

The Liberal Democrats are running third with 14 per cent while the rest of the candidates were chosen by one per cent or less of voters. Sixteen per cent said they would not be taking part.

Labour's city candidate and incumbent MP Mike Foster admitted the vote proved he needs a 'broad coalition of support' from voters of other parties to retain the marginal.

"The electoral arithmetic shows Labour are the best placed party to stop the Conservatives getting the seat," he said.

"My appeal to Liberal Democrats is don't let the Tories in - make sure you vote Labour."

Tory opponent Margaret Harper said it was a 'desperate' move by Mr Foster and said the survey showed that she could win.

"Our canvassers say the same but the poll that counts is the one on the day. Everything is to play for but I really believe we can win the seat back," she added.

Worcester's Liberal Democrat candidate, Mary Dhonau, urged people to have the 'courage of their convictions' and vote for her.

"If people do just go for it - and people voting Labour instead of Liberal Democrat because Mike Foster frightened them out of it did not - the results would be very different," she said.

Fear of fraud in postal voting

POSTAL voting has increased by 380 per cent in Worcester since the previous General Election.

More than 9,000 of the potential 73,000 city voters will be casting their decision through mail rather than at the ballot box.

It comes amid fears that major flaws exist in the system leaving it open to fraud attempts.

Labour candidate Mike Foster welcomed the possibility of more voters taking part but warned: "In my opinion the powers of the returning officer are too limited to check up on many of the documents."

Liberal Democrat candidate Mary Dhonau was concerned people living in flats could be targeted.

"If a postman lobbed the mail on the floor you've got an opportunity to pinch all the neighbour's postal cards. That needs looking into," she said.

But Elaine Dicks, one of the election officers overseeing the Mid Worcestershire vote, said extra measures had been put in place to ensure it remained untarnished.

"The Electoral Commission advised on certain matters and we've also got our own, in-house procedures to satisfy ourselves," she added.

The sharp rise in the marginal city seat is mirrored across the county.

The biggest increase is found in Mid Worcestershire where a total of 12,948 postal votes are set to be cast, up 601 per cent from 2,156 in 2001.