FOR more than 100 years, the annual Miners' Gala, which snaked its way through the streets of Durham City, was the North-East's most enduring symbol of Labour pride.

Numbers may have dwindled, nostalgia may have replaced firebrand socialism and the faces of the men who carried the banners may now be wrinkled with age, but the Big Meeting continues.

By July, when the next gala takes place, there is a possibility that the unthinkable may have happened and it will take place in a Liberal Democrat-run city with a Liberal Democrat MP.

The city has become the region's main battleground in the electoral war between the two parties and LibDem hopes are high that they can capture a seat which was once considered unwinnable.

On the face of it, Labour should have nothing to worry about.

The last time Labour lost Durham City was back in 1931 - at the height of Labour's Gold Standard woes - when William McKeag squeaked in for the Liberals by less than one per cent of the popular vote.

Before that, it is necessary to go back to the General Election of 1918 to find the last time Labour failed to win the seat.

The image Durham City projects to the world is of university, castle and cathedral, but the reality is most of the constituency's voters live in the housing estates and 20 or so former pit villages that ring the city. It is they who, up to now, have been unwavering in their support for Labour. Since the high water mark of the SDP in 1983, when their majority was cut to less than 2,000, Labour has appeared unassailable.

Over three successive elections, Gerry Steinberg steadily increased his majority until its high point in 1997, when it reached 22,500.

Last time round, the majority fell to 13,441, although most of the fall may well have been Labour voters staying at home rather than switching allegiance to the LibDems, who remained stuck just below the 10,000 vote mark.

It remains a commanding lead, but if the seat seems safe for Labour then the same could have been said about the party's grip on Durham City Council - until the election of 2003. Two years ago, the LibDems seized control of the city council in a landslide victory and a commanding majority of the popular vote. In one night, the LibDems gained 17 seats and ended Labour's 20-year hold on the Town Hall.

Since then, the LibDem vote appears to have held up.

They have successfully defended two by-elections in the past six months and at June's European election - in an admittedly low turnout - the LibDems were fewer than 500 votes behind Labour across the city.

They also believe personalities may play a part. Mr Steinberg is standing down and Labour's candidate this time around will be Belfast-born Roberta Blackman-Woods, a professor at Northumbria University, Newcastle, and former Newcastle councillor.

Her chief opponent is London-born Carol Woods, a high-profile councillor for two years as cabinet member for finance and the LibDem candidate at the last General Election.

Despite the Labour candidate's committed campaigning in the constituency over the past few years, her opponent probably remains a better-known figure on the doorstep. Human rights activist and journalist Ben Rogers is standing for the Tories and Durham cobbler Tony Martin is to stand for Robert Kilroy-Silk's party, Veritas, but the election will almost certainly come down to a straight fight between the two women.

Ms Woods said: "We have worked really hard here and proved ourselves as a viable alternative to Labour. We have won the city council with a landslide and in two years we have proved we can run the city council.

"We have done a good job and sorted out a lot of problems. We have made it more open and accountable, we have sorted out the finances and restructured the council to address some of the issues which weren't being addressed.

"I think there is a huge chance. Losing Durham would make Labour sit up and take notice and the people of Durham won't be taken for granted any longer."

Along with national issues including the Iraq war, pensions and hospital waiting lists, the LibDems are fighting several local campaigns. They include anti-social behaviour and the problems of public transport in the villages surrounding the city, funding for Durham Police and tuition fees at the university.

However, Ms Blackman-Woods is convinced that once her opponents' policies are put under the spotlight, the voters will choose to stick with Labour.

She also believes that the Government's track record of delivering improved health, education and other public services would prove to be the decisive factor.

She said: "You never take elections for granted. Every election needs to be won. It's about convincing people that we have delivered and there is a record to be defended and something to be fought for. I am not sure I pay a lot of attention to some of the chattering which goes on about whether it is a safe seat or not, whether it is a Liberal Democrat target or not. The message is, Labour is delivering for Durham and no one else is going to."

Recently, both Labour and the LibDems have been competing over local issues such as the fight to keep threatened post offices open; the campaign to bring forward repairs to the crumbling fabric of Durham Johnston School and the need to replace jobs being lost at LG Philips.

The Philips factory will close in July, just two weeks after the 121st Miners' Gala. By then, Durham will have a new MP to spearhead the fight for new jobs.

Who it is, may well depend on how well Labour can persuade its traditional voters to turn out next month