ROMSEY and Southampton North is set to be the tightest General Election race in Hampshire – and the only female head to head.

Liberal Democrat Sandra Gidley is defending a wafer thin majority in a seat the Tories have chalked up as number four on their target list.

Mrs Gidley has drafted in a top Lib Dem strategist to mastermind her campaign.

The constituency is part of the Lib Dems’ “golden triangle” with Winchester and Eastleigh and the party is putting a huge effort into retaining all three.

She beat her arch rival Conservative Caroline Nokes by only 125 votes in 2005.

Boundary tinkering has afforded Mrs Gidley little comfort, giving her a notional 204 majority on adjusted figures.

Mrs Gidley claims local people want someone who has proved their commitment to the area and its people.

She cites her campaigning to keep the Ford Plant open, improve ambulance times and put more police in patrol. She says jobs, healthcare and crime are her top priorities.

Caroline Nokes, a Test Valley councillor, is contesting the seat where she lives and grew up and is the bookies’ favourite.

She has dubbed it “crucial” for the Conservatives and calls a vote for the Lib Dems “Gordon Brown’s last hope”.

Mrs Nokes has highlighted opposition to fluoridation of local water supplies and local worries about imposed regional housebuilding targets, which she said Tories would scrap.

She and UKIP candidate John Meropolous have sought to make the MPs expenses scandal an issue of the campaign.

Mrs Gidley points out she was given a “clean bill of health” for claiming only rent and utility bills but was later found by a Parliamentary watchdog to have broken the MPs’ Code of Conduct.

She took £18,000 from the new owners of an apartment complex near Parliament, in exchange for giving up her right to cheap rent on her taxpayer- funded second home.

Mrs Gidley said after accepting the money she moved to a smaller, cheaper flat – saving the public purse.

Mrs Nokes has also said she would not travel first class, unlike Mrs Gidley, who has argued as a woman travelling alone the perk is essential because it makes her feel safer, especially on late journeys.

In turn Mrs Nokes has been criticised for her highlighting her former job as chief executive of an “animal welfare charity” on election leaflets – failing to mention it was the Hampshire based National Pony Society.

The Southampton United Animal Charities said readers might assume she supports all animal welfare concerns, when she backs a return of hunting.

Labour’s hopes are pinned on Aktar Beg, who may benefit from the boundary changes which bring more in voters from Southampton.

UKIP lost its deposit in 2005 but new candidate Canadian-born Mr Meropoulos is hoping to win votes with claims the main parties are all discredited and have lost people’s trust.