Anthony CarrollEvery vote counts- that was the message in Great Yarmouth as the two main General Election rivals for the town spent a sunny day frantically trying to drum up more support.Anthony Carroll

Every vote counts- that was the message in Great Yarmouth as the two main General Election rivals for the town spent a sunny day frantically trying to drum up more support.

Labour's Tony Wright and the Conservative's Brandon Lewis could be seen stalking the streets of the borough as they knocked on people's doors to encourage people to vote for them.

The last minute appeal for votes proved that Yarmouth's election race would go right down to the wire in a too close to call contest with the Lib Dem's Simon Partridge sure to snare some of Mr Wright's and Mr Lewis's votes.

Mr Wright, who is defending his 3,000 majority, also took some of his Gorleston constituents by car to their polling booth.

He said: 'We have had a good campaign. I think it is all to play for in this marginal seat.'

Describing the reaction on the doorsteps, Mr Lewis said: 'People woke up on this bright sunny day and seem to want a change.'

Another factor to take into account in the Yarmouth election race was anecdotal evidence from polling stations in Caister and the Cobholm area of Yarmouth that people were voting in larger numbers compared to the 1997 General Election.

93-year-old Phyllis Colman could be seen voting at the Cobholm Community Centre.

She said: 'It is important that everyone votes as it is an important election.'

The only downside to yesterday's polling was a complaint from voter Hilary Webster who turned up at the Edinburgh Close polling station in Caister and saw it had no disabled access because it lacked a ramp.

A spokesman for Yarmouth Borough council apologised for any inconvenience caused, and said: 'Obviously we want to ensure all polling stations are accessible and as such have made those arrangements as soon as we were made aware of the problem.'