A TOWN council candidate is urging voters to back his fellow independent after being re-diagnosed with prostate cancer.

Bill Crease, 64, was standing as an independent candidate in the forthcoming Golftyn Ward by-election but can no longer take on the role due to treatment.

He said he tried to withdraw from the ballot but missed the deadline and as a result, his name will remain on it.

He added: "Whilst I no longer have a prostate I still have prostate cancer.

"As other candidates are standing and one of those is an independent, I feel that a credible option still exists for anyone who did not wish to vote for a mainstream political party.

"Postal voting will begin next week and I want to ensure that no-one votes for me as I will not be actively seeking votes. If I had known last week that this course of treatment was required then I would have ensured my formal withdrawal from the election."

Mr Crease, who is chairman of the Mill Lane allotments association, had his prostate removed last November but the tumour has returned and he wants to raise awareness of this issue.

He said he wants to raise as much awareness about this as possible because men tend to avoid getting checked.

He told the Leader: "I'm going to be brutally honest, women have been undertaking smear tests for decades but tests like that put men off for some reason.

"It's a quick and simple test and is the fastest way of diagnosing.

"My dad died of prostate cancer and I never knew. Men don't want to talk about these problems, it's crackers.

"I don't want votes to be wasted but from that, I want people to realise the importance of getting checked.

"I was going to the toilet five or six times a night and my wife was on my back telling me to go the doctors. "My response to her was men my age go the toilet loads. It really is important to get checked."