º£½ÇÊÓƵ

Dudley North has only ever been a constituency since it was created in 1997 – and while pollsters predict it will remain so, are making strides.

West Midland MEP Bill Etheridge is standing against Labour’s Ian Austin in this seat, with a recent poll suggesting only three per cent separates the two.

However, bookies are confident Mr Austin will succeed in the end, with Paddy Power making him 5/1 on and Ladbrokes and William Hill going with odds of 3/1.

Mr Etheridge, educated at Wolverhampton Polytechnic and Dudley College, is considered a 7/2 chance with Paddy Power, 3/1 at Ladbrokes and 11/4 at William Hill.

The next most likely is Afzal Amin, who was an officer in the British Army for 11 years, serving in Iraq and Afghanistan, and is the candidate for Dudley North. Paddy Power make him 8/1, while Ladbrokes say 10/1 and William Hill 12/1.

The are between 100/1 and 150/1 with all three bookmakers.

into Dudley North shows massive gains by º£½ÇÊÓƵIP in the past four years.

It was a close race in 2010, with Labour securing a two point lead over the Tories with 39 per cent of the vote, with nine per cent going to º£½ÇÊÓƵIP. A poll last December suggested a tight race between Labour and º£½ÇÊÓƵIP, with Mr Etheridge predicted to secure 34 per cent.

All odds are subject to change and were correct at the time this story was written.

We have used all photographs we were able to find from our archives and sourcing online.