CULTURE Secretary Sajid Javid was the latest on a growing list of top Tories to have stopped off in the borough as the election campaign gets into full swing.

Mr Javid, who has represented Bromsgrove as a Conservative MP for the last five years, paid a visit to the Black Country Living Museum with Dudley North Parliamentary candidate for the Conservatives - councillor Les Jones.

During the visit last week, he was taken on a tour of the Tipton Road tourist attraction where he tucked into some of the museum's famous fish and chips.

Andrew Lovett, museum director and chief executive,said: “I was delighted to welcome the Secretary of State to the Museum. It was a fantastic opportunity to demonstrate to him that there are successful alternatives to funding museums, including our model of charging for admission which enables us to offer the kind of experience that we do. We believe enterprise and entrepreneurialism are something to be proud of.”

Cllr Jones, former leader of Dudley Council, said: "It was a very productive visit and nice to show off the good things about Dudley that aren't often seen by government.

"We had a full tour of the site and some fish and chips. I think he wanted to try his hand at chain-making but he wasn't dressed for it."

Cllr Jones, who succeeded Afzal Amin as the Tory candidate for Dudley North after a scandal involving the EDL just three weeks ago, said campaigning in the constituency has been going well "given the circumstances".

He added: "It's a little bit unusual having to do so much in such a short space of time but I'm getting really positive feedback. It's going well and with just a 649 majority it's very achievable."