Former Labour leader of Rochdale Council fears UKIP will win Heywood and Middleton seat in General Election

Councillor Colin Lambert

Former Labour leader of Rochdale Council, Councillor Colin Lambert has told the BBC he thinks UKIP will take the Heywood and Middleton seat in the General Election in May.

In what has always been a Labour stronghold, UKIP came very close to defeating Labour in October's Heywood and Middleton by-election; Liz McInnes pipping John Bickley by just 617 votes.

UKIP has maintained an active presence in the constituency since the by-election and it is understood that the seat is now high on their list of what they consider winnable seats.

Councillor Lambert fears that if the national Labour party does not start listen to local people then UKIP will take the seat at the election in May.

He is quoted as saying: "...even after holding on in the by-election, Labour remains vulnerable in what was once a party stronghold.

"They need to wake up. UKIP are still here in the town, they're still operating, they're still out on the estates and they're in the community.

"We should have been doing the same with our new MP.

"I think if Labour carries on locally as it is then the seat's gone. It will go."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-30586539