VETERAN campaigners Gary Streeter and Chris Mavin will be going head-to-head again over the South West Devon seat at the forthcoming General Election.

Conservative MP Gary Streeter polled 22,695, or 43 per cent of the vote, to beat the Labour party candidate Chris Mavin in 1997.

Mr Mavin polled 29 per cent with 15,262 votes. Keith Baldry of the Liberal Democrats polled 12,542 — 24 per cent — for third place.

Phil Huffy will be standing for the Liberal Democrats this election and Roger Bullock of the UKIP is the fourth of the candidates who have so far thrown their hats into the ring.

Nominations close on May 22, so others may yet join them.

The seat was created under boundary changes in 1997, which saw the old South Hams and Plymouth Drake constituencies disappear.

South West Devon incorporates Yelverton and Buckland Monachorum with the wealthier suburbs of Plymouth and affluent small towns like Noss Mayo and Newton Ferrers.

Because of the changes, there exists only a notional 1992 result. However, that suggested a huge 15 per cent decrease in the Conservative vote, which stood at some 58 per cent in 1992. Labour shifted into second place over the Lib Dems, taking its extra 13 per cent from the Conservatives.

The Lib Dems also took votes from the Conservatives.