LIBERAL Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey is to visit Poole this afternoon as the general election edges closer.

Sir Ed will be at a factory in Fleetsbridge to talk about his party's election campaign.

He, other Lib Dems and council leader Vikki Slade will all be attending.

The Liberal Democrat leader met with Surfers Against Sewage chief executive Giles Bristow yesterday and visited West Bay beach in west Dorset, a popular tourist destination where pollution alerts were put in place after raw sewage was discharged last year.

Sir Ed warned that the Prime Minister is facing a “sewage backlash” in the May local elections.

The Lib Dems have put tackling sewage at the heart of their efforts to win over traditionally Tory seats in so-called “blue wall” areas across southern England.

Ahead of a visit to West Dorset as part of his campaign tour, Sir Ed said: “Rishi Sunak and Conservative MPs are facing a sewage backlash after years of blocking tough measures to crack down on water firms.

“The water industry needs to be ripped up from top to bottom, to stop profits and shareholders’ dividends driving everything. It is time to start again.

“Sunak may have bottled a general election, but he cannot hide from voters in the local elections where communities will voice real anger at this environmental scandal.

“From Dorset to Yorkshire, lifelong Conservative voters across the country are switching to the Liberal Democrats because they’re fed up with seeing their rivers and beaches ruined by sewage.

“Under this Conservative government both sewage in our rivers and water company profits have increased hand in hand. Enough is enough: it is clear the only way to end this sewage scandal is to boot the Conservatives out of government.”