The former chairman of Kent Police Authority was in Sittingbourne High Street last week with her roadshow campaign to become the county’s first elected police chief.

Mrs Barnes, who lives in Folkestone, is campaigning for the Kent Police Commissioner elections on November 15.

She claims a poll showed that most respondents would prefer an independent candidate to one from a major political party.

She said: "I am not a politician and I will not get involved in that ‘knock about’, old-fashioned political electioneering. I think that kind of behaviour is what has switched people off politics completely.

"My ‘straw polling’ across the county shows that a staggering 95% of Kent voters don’t want the party politicians in charge of Kent Police.

"However, so few people are even aware of the election, never mind the candidates.

"Apparently, the Government is considering writing to every household about the election, but is still refusing to include details of the candidates – crazy!

"This election could have the very ‘dangerous’ outcome of Kent Police being under the control of a party politician for the first time in its history."

The other independent candidates are Ian Driver, Fran Croucher, Fergus Wilson and Dai Liyanage.

The other two candidates are Conservative Craig Mackinlay and Labour’s Harriet Yeo.