IT HAS been a 'very slow' day at one Loughton polling station according to a former mayor.

With 70 voters trickling in to cast their ballot at St Marys Church between 12pm and 2pm, all was and still is to play for in Epping Forest's biggest town.

Seven seats are up for grabs.

In Loughton Alderton, incumbent Loughton Residents Association (LRA) cllr Chris Roberts is facing off against Conservative Robert Church and regional Labour leader Angela Ayre.

Long time town, district and county cllr Chris Pond is vying to hold his seat in Loughton Broadway and hoping to see another LRA member fill that vacated by Leon Girling.

Tories Katherine Harris and Marshall Vance, Labour's Rosie Kelly and LRA's Michael Owen are also in the race.

LRA cllr Louise Mead is attempting to hold Loughton Fairmead with opposition coming from Conservative George Bose and Labour Party member Paul Thomas.

Cllr Roger Baldwin is vying to keep Loughton Forest from the clutches of Tory Jonathan Hunter and Labour member Martin Lawford.

Independent Stephen Murray - the only sitting cllr in Loughton not from the LRA - takes on Peter Murrray of the Conservatives and Kenneth Mark of Labour in Loughton Roding.

In Loughton St Marys Jon Gilbert of the Lib Dems, Joyce Obaseki of the Conservatives and Benjamin Ross of Labour must topple the LRA's Howard Kauffman.

And in Loughton St Johns true blue Neal Bagshaw and red rose Jill Elizabeth must pries the Loughton St Johns seat from LRA cllr Bob Jennings, who won 70 per cent of the vote in 2014.

Cllr Jenngings wife Judy - also a cllr and a former mayor - sat outside St Marys in the sun, counting the inconsistent stream of voters casting their ballot.

When asked what she thought the biggest issue in Loughton was, she said: "It is a national issue, but I think potholes.

"We are ranked 27th in the world after places like Chile for the state of our roads.

"It is a disgrace."

Cllr Jennings also took aim at the Conservative's house building policy.

She added: "The building on open spaces is an issue.

"Loughton is the most developed area in the whole of Epping Forest and we have the most number of residents.

"We need every open space that we have got."