Labour candidate Tim Leaver joined by volunteer wearing poo emoji suit in King’s Lynn to highlight water pollution issues

A Labour candidate was joined by a volunteer dressed as a poo emoji in a bid to highlight the area’s sewage problems.

Tim Leaver, Labour’s candidate for North West Norfolk, visited Lynn at the weekend to highlight the issue ahead of the general election.

Sewage has become a key topic in Norfolk, with many people concerned about wastewater flowing into rivers and coastal waters.

Last year, Anglian Water storm overflows – used at times of extreme weather to prevent flooding – spilt sewage into the Great Ouse for 2,387 hours.

Mr Leaver has criticised Conservative candidate James Wild over his voting record on the matter since he became the North West Norfolk MP in 2019, describing it as “dreadful”.

At the weekend, a leaflet was handed out by the Labour Party with the title ‘The Ouse is full of poos!’.

Helping to hand them out while providing a humorous spectacle was a volunteer wearing a poo emoji suit.

Mr Leaver said the fun stunt asked a serious question: “Why do Norfolk beaches suffer so many sewage spills under the Tories? The sewage pollution affects the environment, our landscape and our economy.”

Labour says it has policies to tackle the issues, including large fines for offending water companies and the blocking of bonuses for water company bosses.

The party has drawn on a line from the 1970s film Jaws to hammer its point home: “We’re gonna need a bigger boat.”

To tackle the sewage in the Ouse, Labour says: “We’re gonna need a bigger vote.”

Mr Leaver is hoping to oust Mr Wild when voters head to the polls for Thursday’s general election.

The pair will also face competition from Phil Walton of Reform UK, Michael de Whalley of the Green Party and Rob Colwell from the Liberal Democrats.

Additional reporting by local democracy reporter Owen Sennitt