Election '97: Around the regions: Hexham Courant

With a majority of almost 13,500, Peter Atkinson would seem to be sitting rather more comfortably than most Tory MPs in the 1,000 square miles of his vast Hexham constituency in Northumberland.

But the Tory faithful are under no illusions that this is the safe Tory seat that it may appear. That majority in the 1992 election was considerably influenced by the "Amos factor", when the former Hexham MP Alan Amos was obliged not to seek re-election after being caught with a man at a homosexual haunt on Hampstead Heath in London.

His arrest and subsequent caution came only weeks before the election. The Liberal Democrat candidate Jonathan Wallace was also forced to reveal that he was living in a gay relationship.

When father-of-two Peter Atkinson secured the Conservative nomination for the seat, the local Tories turned out in their droves to vote for him. The traditionally Methodist Northumbrian Liberals shied away from the unfortunate Mr Wallace, who was reduced to third place in a seat which was staunchly Liberal until before the Second World War.

There is no doubt that things will be a lot closer this time round. Unusually, all five candidates are local men, living in the constituency, and each will have a measure of personal support. If the more extreme polls are correct, then this constituency will fall to Labour, which needs a swing of 14 per cent.

Labour relies on Ian MacMinn, a respected county councillor, while the Liberal Democrats pin their hopes on university lecturer Philip Carr, another local councillor. The wild cards are provided by flamboyant ex- RAF fighter pilot David Lott, who has drawn crowds to his UK Independence Party meetings, and retired dentist Robert Waddell, representing the Referendum Party.

Agriculture is a major employer in this scattered constituency, and the handling of the BSE crisis has infuriated many farmers. But the farmers' anger is directed more at Europe than the Tories, according to local farming expert Robert Forster.

He said: "There are many Euro-sceptics among the Tynedale farming community, and the talk at the auction marts has been that their votes could well go to the UK Independence Party or the Referendum Party, rather the Tories.

"However, farmers are equally concerned about the Labour Party's intentions on country sports - six hunts operate within the constituency - and the effects of the 'Right to Roam' legislation. There is little doubt that Peter Atkinson will lose votes from the farming community, but probably not enough to cost him the seat."

Tory canvasser John Lynch said it was clear from responses on the doorsteps that there was a considerable amount of anti-government feeling, even among traditional Conservative voters. He said: "While they cannot quite bring themselves to vote Labour, many say they will vote for the UK Independence Party. I would also expect the Liberal Democrats to improve their showing after the Wallace debacle."