A CONSERVATIVE website has published a series of statistics which reveal the Party’s top North-East target seats at next week’s election.

The Bishop Auckland constituency has been calculated as the Tories’ best chance of capturing a seat from Labour in the region.

The site states the Tories believe they can make significant gains in the region and, using the Electoral Calculus, estimates the party has a 59 per cent chance of recording an historic victory in Bishop Auckland.

The chance of success in Darlington is rated at 55 per cent, with Hartlepool reckoned at 49 per cent.

Labour candidate for Bishop Auckland Helen Goodman had a 3,058 majority over the Conservative candidate Chris Adams at the 2015 election and the pair are both standing again.

In Darlington, Labour’s Jenny Chapman has held about a 3,000 vote majority in the last two two elections, but with what is believed to have been about a 58 per cent leave vote for Brexit in the constituency, the Tories believe this could be reduced.

The Conservative Home website believes the electing of a Conservative Tees Valley mayor shows the previously Labour stronghold is weakening.

It says the Hartlepool seat might be a surprising target if the seat is considered historically. The Conservatives finished third in 2015 behind Labour and Ukip but the previous Labour MP Iain Wright has chosen not to stand this time and the Electoral Calculus has the race as neck-and-neck.

One of the closest North-East battles between the Tories and Labour in recent years has been Stockton South but the website expect Conservative James Wharton to extend his majority and gives Labour just an 18 per cent chance of taking the seat back.