Liberal Democrat candidate Robert Thompson said he was delighted with his second place in Eddisbury.

He claimed realistically he didn't have an expectation of winning and his aim was to beat Labour.

The Liberal Democrats received 10,217 votes compared to 8,182 Joanne Crotty achieved in 2005.

He said: "It is fantastic that we have gained enough to come second. Realistically we weren't going to win and our aim was to come second and we have achieved that.

"In such a rural area it was fantastic that we could get our message out to the people in the Eddisbury constituency.

"What I also think is fantastic is the higher turn out . It means we have engaged with the electorate, and that they decided to come out to vote.

"We have learnt a lot during this election and have great deal to be proud of and build on in the next time. That is what we have to look to now, learn from what we achieved and target those areas next time."

Mr Thompson said he is not disappointed.

He added: "I am not flat or down hearted I am very much cheered by what we achieved."

He said what would really help the voters is if they could see the candidates debating their policies.

He said: "What I do think need to happen next time is that there needs to be more hustings events so the voters can really compare and contrast the candidates. The only husting event we had was at Tarporley High School, and I am very much grateful for putting that on for us.