Five candidates will contest a vacant Essex County Council seat at the end of this month.

Voters will head to the polls in the Clacton East division on Thursday March 31.

The seat is vacant after the automatic disqualification of previous councillor Pierre Oxley due to a fraud conviction last month.

The candidates are: Christopher Bird (Labour), Richard Bleach (Conservative), Colin Sargent (Holland Residents’ Association), Ben Smith (UK Independence Party) and Rain Welham-Cobb (Liberal Democrat).

Polling stations will be open from 7am until 10pm.