With the general and local elections barely over residents in part of Wisbech are faced with another chance to go to the polls as candidates’ line up for a county council by-election.

Four candidates are vying for votes to fill the vacancy for Wisbech South Division on Cambridgeshire County Council left by the resignation of ex-UKIP councillor Peter Lagoda.

Electors will go to the poll on June 4 to find Mr Lagoda’s replacement from one of the following hopefuls: Susan Carson (UKIP), Samantha Hoy (Con), Josephine Ratcliffe (Lib Dem) and Dean Reeves (Lab). Nominations closed at 4pm last Thursday.

Mr Lagoda was suspended by his party after being found guilty of benefit fraud last year. Timing of his resignation meant it came too late for the vote to be included with last week’s general and local elections meaning a £7,000 bill for a by-election.

If the Conservatives win the vacancy they will have 33 seats on the county council - just two short of an overall majority.

A colleague of Mr Lagoda’s told the Standard: “Peter told me he couldn’t care less about timing, he simply said he had had enough.”

Mr Lagoda was given a 12-month community service order last year and was later ordered to repay nearly £2,000 in benefits.

His wife Maria was found guilty of six counts of failing to notify a change in circumstances and was also given a community order and was later ordered to repay £23,000.