AS the political tensions in the count down to the expected general election rise, Walthamstow residents can expect to be "bombarded" by the Liberal Democrat campaign.

In an interview with the Guardian at the House of Lords, Lord Chris Rennard, Lib Dem chief executive, claimed the seat was a priority for his party.

Lord Rennard, who played a major role in launching the free party promotional Focus newsletters, says that all residents in the constituency will be receiving their copies in the run-up to the election.

The party's prospective parliamentary candidate, Farid Ahmed, is already campaigning for the seat currently held with a 15,181 majority by Neil Gerrard, Labour. At the last general election, the Liberal Democrats were in third place.

Lord Rennard said: "There have been increases in party membership and in fundraising for the Walthamstow group and this is a good indication that people feel they can trust us."

Hitting out at the Government, Lord Rennard said that many people had lost faith in the Government and Tony Blair over the Iraq war.

He said: "This is a very exciting time politically speaking. It is a real opportunity for us to gather more votes. We are targeting Walthamstow to win and we believe we are in with a real chance."