Calne town councillors are preparing to battle it out once more for a vacant seat in the deprived Abberd Ward.

Liberal Democrat councillor Mark Tong resigned earlier this month because he is moving away from Wiltshire.

Mr Tong won the seat from Conservative Margaret Russell in May 2003, after a landslide election in favour of the Liberals.

Conservative councillors are fighting to win back the seat if a by-election is called. At present there are 11 Liberal Democrat councillors to six Conservatives.

The election will be held if North Wiltshire District Council receives ten requests from electors in the ward asking for a by-election, by January 29.

However, the Liberal Democrats will be eager to hold on to the seat so they can maintain a strong majority on the council. "We are waiting to see if there will be a by-election and we have a number of people who are interested in standing. It is going to be hard but we are looking forward to it.

"We are quite happy with what we have done in the last eight months," said Coun Peter Dolman, chairman of Calne Liberal Democrats.

He said any election was tough and they did not expect to get automatically re-elected.

"I would much rather have a by-election than co-opt. It is much cleaner and tidier and much better for the electorate to decide what they want."

Conservative councillor John Ireland said they stood a good chance of winning the seat back from the Liberal Democrats. "I am confident that if we field a candidate we will win. The Liberals have no intention of losing that seat and it will be a hard fight but we stand a very good chance of taking that seat back."

Coun Ireland said Conservatives had a candidate in mind, who would be announced in the near future.

"The candidate is not old school. They will be a completely new and fresh person," he said.

Former BNP candidate Robert Baggs, may also be standing again after failing to win a seat in May.

He would not confirm whether he will stand or not but many people are convinced he will not miss the opportunity, after he received more votes than the Labour candidate Celia Stevens last year.

"At the moment we are almost fully committed to the European election in June. Whether I stand for the town council depends on the timing," said Mr Baggs, nephew of Conservative town councillor Mercy Baggs.

Mr Baggs said he had been making a considerable effort since the New Year to attend every council meeting and this might be why some people had assumed he would be standing again.

"It is a coincidence that I was going to the meetings when the vacant seat was announced," he said.

Despite controversy over the party's polices, the present town councillors have welcomed the possibility that a BNP candidate may stand for the by-election.

Coun Ireland said: "Anybody can stand and anybody should be able to stand. The more candidates the better. It gives the people more choice. I don't agree with their policies but I defend their right to put their policies in front of the people."

A spokesman for the Labour party said: "We are hoping to stand if a by-election is called and will be choosing a candidate at the end of the week."