CANDIDATES came face-to-face with some of the city's toughest voters as Worcester College of Technology students challenged them on policies.

Youngsters fired questions at Labour candidate Mike Foster - who has represented Worcester since 1997 - Conservative Margaret Harper, Mary Dhonau of the Liberal Democrats and Richard Chamings of UKIP about everything from the war in Iraq to the NHS. Student Nike McCullough, aged 18, wanted to know how parties planned to tackle illegal immigration.

Mr Chamings said: "We have to make sure they are processed quickly and improve our border control."

But he added that victims of persecution must be welcomed.

Mrs Harper added: "It's not racist to address this issue. I find that it is the one of the top two issues when I knock on people's doors."

Seventeen-year-old Anbreen Kosar asked what could be done about the situation in Iraq.

Mrs Dhonau said she was against the war. "Many of our soldiers have died unnecessarily," she said. "But now that it has happened we must keep our soldiers there for the time being to stop any more deaths."

Bruce Hindle, aged 25, asked if Tony Blair should apologise for the war.

Mr Foster said: "I think he has made it quite clear that there were faults in the system that led us to take military action.

"What's important is that lessons are learnt."

l Independent Prudence Dowson, Chris Lennard of the Green Party, and Martin Roberts of the BNP, who are also standing for the Worcester seat, did not attend.