WOLLESCOTE landlord Lee Sargeant and partner Wendy Wilde who are fighting to protect their popular pub from development are now gearing up for a battle at the ballot box.

The couple who run the Hare and Hounds, who are due to wed in September, are both standing as candidates for UKIP in the forthcoming local election.

Lee, aged 45, is hoping to turn the Wollescote and Cradley ward over to the purple party; while 43-year-old Wendy, who works as a community carer - providing palliative care to people across the Black Country and Birmingham - as well as helping out in the pub, is hoping for success in Lye and Stourbridge North.

The pair, who have six children between them, say they are supporting UKIP in a bid to alter the political status quo.

Lee, who has managed pubs, clubs and worked in the security industry, said: "I just want to see a change and get Britain back how it was. It's a Labour stronghold here but people are fed up; we need some form of change."

The popular licensee, who has been hoping to see off plans by NewRiver Retail to build a mini supermarket on the car park, stood in last year's local election against Dudley Council cabinet member and long-serving Labour councillor Tim Crumpton in a close race to the polls.

This time he's doing battle against Labour's Richard Body, a ward councillor for 11 years - and the man who started the fight to try and save the development-threatened Hare and Hounds in Wynall Lane.

But Mr Body, a 49-year-old grandfather-of-three who runs his own picture framing business from home, is taking the political rivalry in good spirits and said he's working flat out to hang onto his seat.

He said: "In the 11 years I've represented the area I've done my best. I've worked extremely hard to make a difference."

He's particularly proud of managing to get heritage boards put up at various sites around the ward to give people a sense of history and pride. He also hopes to get Lye's historic clock, currently in storage, put back on display in the town.

Mr Body said he too wants to see the area's pubs preserved and pledged to support residents campaigning to keep the Hare and Hounds free from development.

He added: "We've lost enough. If you take away a pub where has anybody got to go and have a chat, have a drink or have a good time?"

Also standing in the ward is Alan Hopwood for the Conservatives and Dennis Neville for the Greens.

In Lye and Stourbridge North, Wendy will be doing battle against Labour incumbent Mohammed Hanif, Conservative candidate Asan Mishaq and the Green Party's Andi Mohr.