IT’S House versus House in Eastleigh as the election battle heats up in the borough.

Liberal Democrats council leader Keith House believes UKIP are trying to lose him votes, by putting a candidate with the same name up against him.

John House will compete with Cllr House in his Hedge End Wildern seat, but UKIP say it is just a coincidence that they have the same name.

Longstanding Lib Dem council leader Keith House believes UKIP have adopted a deliberate ploy to lose him votes, by putting his namesake up against him.

He said: “It is clearly juvenile politics – this chap isn’t even from Hedge End, he’s from Chandler’s Ford.

“UKIP are playing a fairly silly game, but I suppose that’s their level.”

He added that his party are campaigning on their own record in power, saying: “We’ve kept council tax low, protected services from cuts and kept people informed, as well as attracting investment in and creating jobs.”

But UKIP are looking to build on recent successes in Eastleigh.

They came second to Lib Dem Mike Thornton at last year’s parliamentary by-election.

And the party gained three seats in the town in last year’s Hampshire County Council elections.

Jim Saunders, the party’s candidate in the Eastleigh South ward, said it was a “coincidence” that John House had been put up against his namesake.

He added: “I’m doing this because I think enough is enough, and someone needs to make a stand against the Lib Dems.”