* St George’s spirit was in short supply when the Lib Dems’ patriotically-named Paul English was berated by an elderly Mill Hill resident who assumed he was from a far-right party.

“She saw the ‘Vote English’ stickers in my car, and started shouting that I was scum,” he said, claiming he had won her vote by the end of their encounter.

*Shoppers in Blackburn town centre on Friday were urged to sign up to a “clean up politics” pledge.

The power 2010 campaign, which is aiming to reform the voting system and replace the House of Lords, was targeting the seat of Jack Straw in his capacity as Justice Secretary.

* East Lancashire’s council leaders are quick to castigate those of us who fail to use their new “Pennine Lancashire” name for the area.

But the branding doesn’t seem to have caught on in their general election leaflets - senior Blackburn Tory Michael Law-Riding sees the town as the “heart of East Lancashire”.

* The For Darwen Party has offered a £100 reward for information about a leaflet sent to thousands of homes in the town.

The offending flier contained a string of attacks but did not say where it had been printed - a breach of electoral rules.

* The perils of being attacked by a dog are well-known to campaigners, with two East Lancashire candidates already falling victim.

But the boot is on the other foot in Rossendale and Darwen, where Tory candidate Jake Berry is marching around with his poodle, Lola.

She’s apparently relieved herself in a few front gardens - thankfully before the door has been answered.