THE impact of the Buckskin flooding crisis has prompted a Basingstoke dad to stand for election to the borough council.

Paul Bensilum, who lives with wife Nicola and six-year-old son Peter, in Exmoor Close, will run for the Liberal Democrats as a potential borough councillor for the Buckskin ward on May 22.

And the 42-year-old driving instructor credits the flooding crisis, which saw a total of 87 homes evacuated in Grampian Way, Exmoor Close, Bodmin Close, Antrim Close, Prescelley Close, Quantock, Sperrin Close and Holyrood Court after February 8, when the properties were hit by groundwater flooding, as the driving force behind his decision.

Although his three-bedroom bungalow wasn’t breached by contaminated sewage water, the impact on Buckskin residents has inspired Paul to fight for the borough council seat against incumbent Conservative councillor Robert Taylor.

When asked why he is running, Paul told The Gazette: “Yes, it was the flooding and it was the fact that I lived through the middle of it.

“We (Buckskin residents) all got together as a group and said we need someone on the inside, and the only way to do that is to stand as a councillor. I have got 20 to 30 people helping me from the area, and not just from the flooded area of Buckskin.”