BURY was the big gun battleground in the General Election this week, with big names from the two main parties throwing their weight behind the local campaign.

Labour were first in with deputy leader John Prescott riding his battle bus into town.

Mr Prescott visited Radcliffe in Bury South to boost Ivan Lewis's campaign, and then into Bury town centre with David Chaytor, as part of a tour of 93 key constituencies across the country.

But the biggest name of the lot came on Monday, when John Major dropped in for an hour-long visit at Fairfield General Hospital, followed by the two men seeking re-election, Alistair Burt and David Sumberg.

Other high-profile visitors included Labour justice spokesman Paul Boateng. He spoke to members of the local Law Society at Bury Magistrates, and discussed Labour's plans for law and order with concerned citizens in Bury and Prestwich.

Cabinet Minister Roger Freeman completed the line-up when he opened David Sumberg's campaign headquarters in Radcliffe on Monday evening.

The other parties have had a quieter time of it. The Liberal Democrats have been on doorsteps in both constituencies. Without the big-name backing, candidates Neville Kenyon (Bury North) and Vic D'Albert (Bury South) have been talking to the voters to get their message across.

The Referendum Party have been attending public meetings, and are likely to be canvassing across both constituencies next week.

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