ALL candidates representing UKIP in the upcoming city elections have decided against listing their personal addresses due to fears of being “targeted by far-left extremists”.

Eleven seats are up for grabs on Worcester City Council next month, as are all parish council positions, with the two polls to be held side by side.

Meanwhile the Electoral Commission has this year introduced a new rule, in line with parliament, meaning candidates can request that their home address be suppressed.

This means it won’t appear on either the Statement of Persons Nominated or the ballot paper.

Of the 55 candidates hoping to be voted onto the city council, 13 have opted to keep their addresses private – including all those representing UKIP.

Chris Roberts, general secretary for Worcester UKIP, and who is also standing for the Warndon Parish North ward, said he and his party colleagues made the decision to protect themselves.

“It’s a new policy by the local authorities because, let’s say, there are extremists out there,” he told the Worcester News.

Mr Roberts said he understood the commission was “taking precautions against far-left extremists” and it was something the party welcomed.

“We are living in strange times, unfortunately, and when you see our representatives being targeted by far-left extremists, something needs to be done.

“There is no evidence that this [acts of extremism] is happening on the far-right,” he continued.

“You show me where the far-right extremists are. They are anarchists, not extremists.”

However, a spokesman for the Electoral Commission said the rule change came in following “reports of intimidation of candidates” but not necessarily exclusive to the left.

“It’s to protect all sides and follows on from the 2017 General Election in which the government brought in the rules for parliamentary candidates.”

The spokesman said the new ruling followed an independent review by Committee on Standards in Public Life.

Harry Taylor, Labour deputy regional director for West Midlands, said: “I think there’s plenty of examples of far-right extremists. We had a Labour MP murdered while attending a surgery. The Electoral Commission has made the changes in line with parliamentary laws that are already there. There are no other reasons."

He went on to say: “It can be unnerving when you have your address listed because you don’t know who is out there.

“In other areas, I know people who have withheld their address because they have faced some not very nice things happen to them.

“I would like to see any evidence of Labour candidates responsible for far-left intimidation in Worcester,” he added.

Asked whether it could hamper a candidate’s chances not revealing their address, he said: “That’s a good point. When I stood as a candidate, I was told you get a certain amount of votes just for being a local candidate. You have got to weigh up it up and consider your own safety.”

Asked the same question, Mr Roberts said: “I don’t think it hampers anybody’s chances. At the end of the day, you are voting for the party.”

As part of the new ruling, agents’ addresses do still have to be listed separately and, seeing as all Worcester candidates for UKIP are also their own agents, their addresses are therefore listed.

“There’s no subterfuge, as it were, just an extra layer of protection for us,” Mr Roberts added.