A moratorium should be imposed on building houses in Southwold and the surrounding area to protect the area's green spaces, a parliamentary candidate for the area has said.

Daryll Pitcher, who is standing for the UK Independence Party (UKIP) in the Suffolk Coastal constituency, said at a public meeting at the Stella Peskett Memorial Hall: 'There are far too many big housing developments being proposed in the constituency and it's completely over the top.

'We're losing green spaces between our towns and villages and there's not even a proven need for all these new houses.'

'Building on agricultural land is clearly wrong. We need that land to feed our people. I would like to see the defence of A1 agricultural land enforced.

'I am calling for a moratorium on house-building in this constituency. We need to find where our brownfield sites are and take stock of them.'

Mr Pitcher was sharing a stage with Douglas Carswell, the party's first-ever MP who defected from the Conservatives and resigned his Clacton seat to contest a by-election under his new banner - which he won.

At the event on Monday (April 13), he said he could not have won his by-election without the help of Mr Pitcher, one of the Clacton campaign organisers before being selected to fight the Suffolk Coastal seat.

During the event Mr Carswell and Mr Pitcher discussed a wide range of issues, with Mr Carswell claiming: 'In this country our democracy has been captured by tiny cliques in the main parties.

'Seven-tenths of the seats in the country are safe seats, blue or red. There's no real competition. Six out of 10 new candidates are already working in the Westminster bubble and are parachuted into those safe seats.'

Mr Pitcher said housing and development were top of the agenda during his campaign.

Also standing in the constituency are Therese Coffey for the Conservatives, Rachel Smith-Lyte for the Greens, Russell Whiting for Labour and James Sandback for the Liberal Democrats.

What do you think? Write, giving your full contact details, to: Journal Postbox, 147 London Road North, Lowestoft NR32 1NB or email andrew.papworth@archant.co.uk