HOUSING and the collapse of MG Rover were two issues touched on by Conservative leader Michael Howard when he dropped into Greenlands on the election trail on Thursday.

The ferocity with which the constituency is being fought over by the big parties had already been reflected earlier in the week when Tony Blair, Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott and former Home Secretary David Blunkett all dropped in to boost Labour's campaign.

Mr Howard visited the Treetops housing development in Greenlands Drive with Conservative candidate Karen Lumley and spoke to a young couple and a nurse about the difficulties of getting on the property ladder.

His visit followed a Tory announcement pledging to scrap stamp duty on homes costing up to £250,000.

But asked about the Longbridge crisis, he said: "My heart goes out to everyone who has lost their jobs and to manufacturers and dealerships.''

But he added: "It's a great pity the Government didn't get stuck in at an earlier stage, before the company went into receivership, instead of waiting until the last few weeks."

Labour's Redditch campaign continued with vigour when Mr Prescott swept through the Kingfisher Centre on Wednesday morning.

An ebullient Mr Prescott spent 45 minutes speaking to shoppers in Worcester Square, accompanied by Labour candidate Jacqui Smith and a dozen or so Labour Party members.

After a 15-minute monologue in which he berated the opposition parties and barely paused for breath, he took a short tour of the square and spoke to reporters and the public.

Three or four pensioners took the opportunity to get stuck into issues like Rover and MRSA with Mr Prescott, including Margaret Jones, of Walkwood, who had a forthright but good-humoured confrontation with him.

She almost got the better of him when she accused him of avoiding her questions.

But Mr Prescott replied he would answer if he could get a word in edgeways himself.