RESIDENTS have successfully requested a by-election to fill the vacant Cledford ward town council seat, following the departure of Ukip’s Alan Brookes last month.

Mr Brookes was removed following a prolonged absence from meetings, later claiming he was attacked by a dog in December but failed to advise the council.

Vacancies require the signatures of at least 10 constituents to force an election, with lower interest leading to the town council selecting a candidate to take up the seat.

More than 20 residents signed, meaning a by-election will take place in due course.

Last May’s elections were uncontested, with six councillors being automatically appointed without the need for a vote.

Labour councillor David Williams said: “Residents right across Cledford, from the Cow Estate in the north to the Sycamore Drive estate in the south, have come together and demanded that they get a say.

“It’s been nine years since Cledford last got to choose its councillors. And all the major decisions at town and borough seem to have had an unfairly negative impact on the people of Cledford.”

Work has recently started at the Ansa waste transfer station in Cledford Lane, while hundreds of houses are due to be built off Warmingham Lane.

Middlewich Town Council confirmed that they had received notice of interest in an election, and that it will take place within the next couple of months.

In advertising the vacancy, in accordance with procedure, town clerk Jonathan Williams wrote: “An election to fill the vacancy will be held if 10 electors from the said electoral area give notice … requesting such an election.

“If no such notice is given, the parish council will fill the vacancy by co-option.”

The signatures represent a heightened interest in local politics, after the previous two council elections saw Cledford seats filled automatically because there were too few candidates.

Kitfield Avenue resident Alan Wood said: “The fact that residents are now turning up to council meetings in their dozens shows that they are taking a growing interest in how their town is run.

"And the huge turnout in the recent EU referendum shows they have an appetite for exercising their right to have their say.”