THE Lib Dem candidate for Mayor of London has been criticised for being "clueless" about the needs of local people.

Richard Barnes, assembly member for Ealing and Hillingdon, said Brian Paddick is out of touch with residents of the borough after he supported the idea of the West London Tram.

He said: "It fills me with horror that a mayoral candidate can understand so little about Hillingdon and Ealing.

"We have fought for ages to try to stop its development, and him and his assembly candidate come along and haven't got a clue what is going on."

He was responding to comments made by Mr Paddick when he visited Southall on Monday, April 14, with Lib Dem assembly candidate for Ealing and Hillingdon, Nigel Bakhai.

Mr Paddick said London should look at all options for public transport, including the tram, and hold a consultation to get agreement with local people.

The idea for a tram to run down the Uxbridge Road corridor caused controversy in Ealing and Hillingdon because of the perceived disruption to traffic, with £40m spent developing the project.

The idea was dropped by Transport for London last year when the Government agreed plans for the Crossrail scheme.