ELECTION candidates have taken their campaigns on to a

town's new website in the run up to voting next week.

The site, which can be found at marskeonline.com, aims to give visitors a comprehensive guide to Marske and New Marske in east Cleveland, including up-to-the-minute news supplied by The Northern Echo.

Now the five candidates standing in the St Germain's ward by-election on Thursday have posted their manifestos online.

The Redcar and Cleveland Council by-election was called after Councillor Ken Seymour resigned due to ill health last month.

He was elected to the ward in 1999 as a Liberal Democrat when the party snatched two seats from Labour.

But he switched to the Socialist Labour Party after being suspended from the Lib-Dem group last June.

Thursday's poll of 3,505 electors is being viewed by local politicians as a good indicator of how people will vote in next year's council elections, with Labour desperate to regain its lost seat.

The candidates are: Neil Bilham (Conservative), Mike Findley (East Cleveland Independents), William Goodwill (Liberal Democrats), Peter Goodwin (Green Party) and Susan McLeod (Labour).

Gerry McBride, 41, who created marskeonline.com with his partner Debbie Matthews, 29, said candidates were delighted to be able to get their message across over the Internet.

He said: "We approached the candidates when we got the first election stuff through the door as we thought it would be an easy way for people to access the information.

"It's probably a virtual first in that all the candidates are using the website and we are asking visitors to vote for their preferred one.

"We are getting a lot of hits and we think a lot of it is to do with the political side and our mini-poll."

The site also features information on Marske and New Marske, including a memories page and a noticeboard, and provides links to local businesses and organisations, said Mr McBride.

He said: "When we moved here we looked on the Internet and there wasn't much at all on Marske and New Marske so we decided to put a site dedicated to the two communities together as a way of connecting them."

St Germain's two polling stations, Thrushwood Community Centre, in Thrushwood Crescent, and Marske Methodist Church Hall, in Hummershill Lane, will be open from 8am to 9pm on Thursday