LIBERAL Democrat Leader Sir Ed Davey will be in Bridport and West Bay on Thursday.

Mr Davey will be joined by Lib Dem parliamentary candidate for West Dorset, Edward Morello on his first stop on a local election tour of the West Country.

In Bridport, Ed Davey will visit Washingpool Farm to learn about the ‘Discover Farming’ programme run by the Melplash Agricultural Society. 

He will then travel to West Bay to meet Surfers Against Sewage CEO, Giles Bristow, to discuss new Environment Agency water data and the impact of sewage on local water quality. 

The beach has seen sewage spills reported regularly throughout the past year.

Sir Ed warned that the Prime Minister is facing a “sewage backlash” in the May local elections.

The Lib Dems have put tackling sewage at the heart of their efforts to win over traditionally Tory seats in so-called “blue wall” areas across southern England.

Ahead of his visit to West Dorset as part of his campaign tour, Sir Ed said: “Rishi Sunak and Conservative MPs are facing a sewage backlash after years of blocking tough measures to crack down on water firms.

“The water industry needs to be ripped up from top to bottom, to stop profits and shareholders’ dividends driving everything. It is time to start again.

“Sunak may have bottled a general election, but he cannot hide from voters in the local elections where communities will voice real anger at this environmental scandal.

“From Dorset to Yorkshire, lifelong Conservative voters across the country are switching to the Liberal Democrats because they’re fed up with seeing their rivers and beaches ruined by sewage.

“Under this Conservative government both sewage in our rivers and water company profits have increased hand in hand. Enough is enough, it is clear the only way to end this sewage scandal is to boot the Conservatives out of government.”