The majority of the Bury St Edmunds constituents support Green Party policies, a poll of 800 people has found.

The unusual style of poll, by Vote for Policies, asks potential voters to choose the policies they most agree with, without knowing which party’s manifesto they are from.

Of those polled, 25% supported Green Party policies, with Labour coming in second with 20%, Lib Dems on 17% and Conservatives on 13%. Both UKIP and the BNP polled at 12%.

Despite the news, Green Party county councillor Mark Ereira-Guyer, who nearly won the staunchly Conservative seat in 1997 for Labour, believes it will not amount to polling day success.

“It is positive to see that people support progressive social ideas, I think people care about their local environment, about ending austerity,” he said.

“But the political system is broken for a lot of people, and that is the terrible times we seem to be in.

“Party identity is getting weaker and is changing rapidly. What this means for west Suffolk remains to be seen, that could be UKIP doing well, but you never know, we (the Green Party) might do better than we think.

“I spent 28 years in the Labour party thinking they were the answer, people are finding it very hard to find a party that they agree with and will also vote for.

“We say you should vote Green if you believe in our policies, but agreeing and voting are not always the same.”

The seat is currently held by Conservative MP David Ruffley, who is standing down in 2015 after accepting a police caution for assaulting his former partner.

Jo Churchill has been selected by the Conservatives to contest the seat at the general election, one that has remained in the party’s hands for over 100 years.

She said: “The Greens in this poll showed well, but it is of 1% of constituents. I would urge all voters to look at the details of the Green manifesto, no growth, no armed forces and tax on meat to name but a few.”

Standing for the Greens will be TV archaeologist Helen Geake, with Bill Edwards contesting for Labour and David Chappell for the Lib Dems.

At the last election, in contrast to the Vote for Policies poll, just 4% voted for the Greens while a landslide 47% voted for Conservatives.

To take the poll for yourself and to find out more about the non-profit organisation, visit www.voteforpolicies.org.uk.