FARAGE fever has certainly hit Clacton.

I remember the excitement when the then Ukip leader visited the town during the 2014 by-election to support Douglas Carswell, who became the party's first MP.

But as he visited the seaside resort again on Tuesday, it felt bigger than I ever could have anticipated.

All eyes were on Clacton. I was surrounded by journalists at the top of their game wanting a slice of the action - ex-Newsnight host Emily Maitlis, for instance.

As I drove up the A120, I spotted a "welcome home Nigel" banner draped over a bridge.

And as I got closer to Clacton Pier, where Mr Farage launched his election campaign, I was blown away by the hundreds of people who came out to support the Reform leader.

Chants of "come on Nigel" followed as voters got impatient - led by a woman in a leopard print blouse who was swiftly picked up for an interview with GB News.

Everywhere Mr Farage went, supporters followed. I lost count of how many car horns and shouts of support I heard.

It's a shame he ended up drenched in a milkshake. No-one deserves that.

Is Clacton ready for a change? It certainly felt that way looking in. Is Mr Farage the man to do it? Who knows. In just over four weeks, we'll know the answer.

The other candidates for the Clacton constituency in the upcoming General Election are Matthew Bensilum (Lib Dem), Natasha Osben (Green), Jovan Owusu-Nepaul (Lab), and Giles Watling (Con).