EASING the traffic misery for motorists in Fareham is one of the key campaign issues for UKIP's Steve Richards.

If voted MP for Fareham, the 56-year-old dad-of-two promises to improve the borough's road system, which he has slammed for being "abysmal".

Having moved to Fareham three years ago for his job at the Warsash Marine Academy, teaching electronics, Steve knows only too well the congestion faced by drivers on a daily basis.

He said: "I believe in a car owning democracy but we need better roads to make that work more effectively and cheaply."

Dorset-born Steve, who has been married for 33 years, joined the UKIP in 2006, after becoming disenchanted with how the country was moving towards an ever-closer union with the EU.

He added: "I haven't been tarnished by sleaze and I believe in the people. The state needs to become smaller, so people are able to look after their own lives.

"In Fareham people are worried about jobs, traffic, schools and crime and I believe that UKIP have the policies that can ease those worries and change things for the better."

Another pressing issue to tackle for Steve is encouraging people back to work with a benefits system that allows people to keep some of that money once they start a new job.

Steve also believes in bringing grammar schools to every town, giving the brightest children, from poorer backgrounds, the best start in life and tougher prison sentences, that brings back the fear of going to jail.