WIRRAL gamblers are aiming to cash in this General Election with more than £30,000 of bets taken at just one bookmakers.

Election stakes are high and while many will place smaller bets, around five or six people have placed bets of £500 on who will become the next MP for Wirral West and Wirral South.

Dozens of media organisations are expected to attend the General Election count in Wirral next week as attention focuses on the marginal Wirral West seat.

Employment minister Esther McVey – who narrowly beat Labour’s Phil Davies by a 6% majority in 2010 – will be hoping to retain her seat but has faced stiff competition from Labour’s Margaret Greenwood.

Both campaigns have seen key party figures travel to the constituency in a bid to attract voters with Prime Minister hopeful Ed Miliband visiting Pensby last month.

Already £16,000 has been placed on the Wirral West result through the country’s biggest independent bookmaker, Betfred, with another £14,000 placed on Wirral South – where Labour’s Alison McGovern is up against the Tory’s John Bell.

Betfred odds for Wirral West today put Ms Greenwood as the favourite to win at 4/6 while Ms McVey’s odds are 11/10

For Wirral South, Betfred odds put Ms McGovern as the favourite to win at 1/12 while Mr Bell’s are 13/2.

Fred Done, owner of Betfred, said: “The Wirral is one of the most highly contested areas of the whole country, particularly Wirral West.

“People are betting on both Labour and Conservative where the result is harder to call than the Grand National.

“We are obviously used to substantial bets on horse racing, grey hounds, football and even the royal baby but the General Election has really captured the nation’s imagination.

“We believe that as such, the various leaders debates on television have generated even more public engagement as has the increased use of social media which all the parties are using to gauge opinion.”

This year’s General Election will generate 10 times more in bets than the election in 2010.

As well as serious bets, some have placed “novelty bets”, including on the use of the phrase “Hard working British people” during last night’s TV debate which had odds of 8/1.

Betfred said those placing bets are not their “average punters” and are instead people have thought long and hard and “put their money where their mouth is”.