LIBERAL Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey went down a waterslide near Frome while on the general election campaign trail on Thursday (May 30).

Mr Davey joined Frome and East Somerset Lib Dem hopeful, Anna Sabine, slid down the 95m Ultimate Slip ‘n Slide waterslide in a rubber ring in Beckington, just outside Frome.

He had three goes down the slide in the rubber ring before opting for a yellow bodyboard for a final run.

The fourth largest party is known for its eye-catching campaign stunts, but this week has been something else. The party leader made headlines after falling off a paddleboard in Lake Windermere, the Lake District on Tuesday, and rode a bicycle down a steep hill in Knighton in Wales on Wednesday.

Mr Davey said: “My belief is that politicians need to take the concerns and interests of voters seriously, but I’m not sure they need to take themselves seriously all the time.”

But he added there was a “serious side” behind the fun. He said: “We have got hundreds and thousands of children and young people waiting for treatment for their mental health and it is actually appalling and if you talk to their parents, they are worried not just about their health now but what it’s going to do to their education in the future, their future life chances, their future opportunities. And they want a party to say how are we going to fix that.

“So we’ve come up, talking to experts, with this set of ideas to ensure every school is going to have a qualified mental health professional to work with the staff so we can gather early intervention and make sure these young people get the treatment to deserve when they need it.”

He said it would be paid for with a higher ‘digital service tax’ on companies such as Amazon, Google, and big social media companies.

Mr Davey said: “We are asking them to pay a higher digital services tax so we can make this investment in the mental health of our young people.”

Also standing for Frome and East Somerset is Martin Dimery (Green), Gavin Heathcote (Independent), Robin Moss (Labour), David Swain (Reform UK), and Lucy Trimnell (Conservative).

Ultimate Slip N Slide, on Eastcote Farm just off the A36/A361 roundabout on Warminster Road into Beckington, first opened last summer and is now open until September 8.