VOTERS go to the polls today in local council and European elections which will probably be the last key test of public opinion ahead of a general election.

Around one million voters in Kent have the opportunity to decide the ten people who will represent their interests in Brussels as European members of parliament.

And local council seats are up for grabs in three parts of the county – Swale, Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells.

Parties contesting the Euro elections continued their campaigns right up to polling day.

The UK Independence Party had its last public meeting in Maidstone featuring one of the three Tory rebel peer backing the party.

It also won the backing of the disgraced former Kent Tory MP Jonathan Aitken, who announced he would be voting for UKIP.

Nigel Farage, UKIP MEP for the south east, said: “We have fought a good campaign but how that translates into votes remains to be seen.”

Privately, the party is increasingly optimistic of its chances of securing another MEP in the region and several more elsewhere in the country.

Labour MEP Mark Watts said he remained cautiously optmistic about the party’s chances of retaining two MEPs in the south east region, which includes Kent.

However, he conceded that UKIP represented an unknown quantity but suggested it would draw more support from the Tories.

“We always knew these elections would be a challenge but have had a positive response on the doorstep. People appear to be using the election as a referendum on Michael Howard rather than Tony Blair,” he said.

The Green party ended its campaign by firing a salvo at Michael Howard, with MEP Caroline Lucas pouring scorn on his comments suggesting his party would do anything to protect the environment.

* Voting in the European elections takes place today but the results will not be declared until Sunday night. See www.kentonline.co.uk for all the results.