ELECTION hopeful Chauhdry Shafique said he was confident of a Labour win when he took to the streets of Marlow Bottom to meet voters.

Mr Shafique, Labour's parliamentary candidate for Wycombe, was joined by local party aides and canvassers as he visited shops and called at houses on Saturday.

Standing outside Marlow Bottom Pharmacy, which faces closure in the face of increased supermarket competition, Mr Shafique said: "This is one of the big issues that I'm standing on at the local level. There are about 7,500 independent pharmacies that are in local communities. What we are seeing is the demise of rural communities. We [Labour] do understand rural issues in Marlow and recognise the village hub."

One voter greeted by Mr Shafique said of him: "He's very good, very open and very open faced."

But the college lecturer did not go down so well at nearby Longhurst's Butchers, Brucewood Parade, leaving Mr Shafique to try his luck at other front doors.

Owners Bernard and Sharon Longhurst turned down a chance to meet Mr Shafique saying they were not "political animals".