Tessa Munt and the Liberal Democrats are main challengers to the Conservatives in the Wells Constituency.

"Tessa Munt is the Liberal Democrat Parliamentary candidate for the Wells Constituency. Tessa was born in 1959, the eldest of four children. Initially convent educated, she attended a girls' grammar school before finishing her education at an independent school and college. Tessa has two teenage children, both of whom attend the Kings of Wessex School in Cheddar. Tessa was the candidate for Suffolk South in the 2001 General Election and for Ipswich in the November 2001 Parliamentary by-election. Amongst her many interests, she is a Governor of a local Middle School, Co-Chair of Mid-Somerset Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, a member of the Wedmore Green Group and the Sustainable Axbridge Network, Chair of a local Parent Teacher Association and a member of Wells and Burnham Town Twinning Associations. Tessa lives on the outskirts of Mark on the Somerset Levels, drives a Peugeot 205, and has been a vegetarian for over thirty years. She lists among her many hobbies listening to music and radio, walking, cooking for friends, East African history, reading, horseriding and researching her family's history. She wants to learn to windsurf better. Tessa can be contacted by post at Freepost BS 8452, Somerset BA4 4BR; by email on tessa@tessa4wells.com or by telephone on 07714 599669."

TESSA TACKLES POTHOLES

Tessa Munt, the local Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Candidate, has been out and about with the road repairs team and a new, environmentally-friendly pothole repair vehicle.

Tessa joined the team from Atkins and Velocity, tackling the problem of potholes and patching repairs at the roadside where damage is often caused when vehicles pull over to pass each other on our narrow lanes.

"I spent the morning working with Gerry and Alan, learning how to repair the roads using this new 'green' method. The Velocity Patcher lorry uses waste heat from its engine, making it possibly the most fuel-efficient lorry on the road today. The aggregates used are recycled whenever possible and none of the materials used damage plants on the verges or water in the rhynes. Also, there is no waste - traditional repairs mean digging out the road and replacing it, more often than not causing further damage to the road base."

"This method is a great solution for repairs in rural areas - patch repairs can be done five times faster than ordinary road mending and our lanes don't have to be closed, which saves long detours and lots of wasted fuel and time." "Best of all, I discovered that the average cost of filling one pothole using traditional methods is £69.00 per square metre, whereas these green Velocity repairs cost an average of £12.50 a square metre - one fifth of the cost."

At the end of her morning's work, a mud-spattered and dusty Tessa said: "At every Parish Council meeting, the subject of potholes and road repairs is raised. I'd like to thank Jess Smith of Atkins and the team from Velocity for letting me see how our rural roads are repaired with the minimum disruption and a cut in costs."

NICK CLEGG VISITS BURNHAM HOVERCRAFT RESCUE

Lib Dem Leader Nick Clegg and Burnham & Highbridge Parliamentary Candidate Tessa Munt joined crewmembers from Burnham's rescue hovercrafts for a training session this Autumn.

Local charity BARB - the Burnham Area Rescue Boats - operate two hovercraft - the 'Spirit of Lelaina' and 'Light of Elizabeth' with the help of volunteer crewmembers.

Nick and Tessa toured the charity's Burnham seafront station and met all the crew. They then boarded the Spirit of Lelaina for a training flight along the beach to the Burnham lighthouse.

Speaking after his flight, Nick said it was "bumpy, noisy, and exhilarating". He was full of admiration for the volunteers and their work with BARB, saying "The crew provides an emergency service over 36 square miles of deceptively dangerous mud flats in Burnham. It's fascinating to see how a community-run charity can provide an essential lifeline service here."