Basement plunge for candidate on the campaign trail

Karen Doran fell onto the patio of a basement flat on Great King Street while she was going door-to-door to drum up support ahead of polling day next Thursday.

The 49-year-old broke her ankle in three places and is to undergo surgery today.

However, her campaign team says she is hopeful that she will return to the streets despite her accident on Wednesday evening.

Friend and activist Vicky Redpath, who was with her when she fell, said: "It was so slippery, and it wasn't so much the height but the way she fell onto her ankle.

"The guy who lived there was a bit shocked but brought cushions and blankets until we could get her to the hospital."

She added: "It was so frustrating, and not to mention agony for her, because she's been out every night campaigning and we've been getting a good return, even in the New Town. People respect someone who wants to get out and meet them, even in heavy rain, so to lose her for a few days is hard."

Mrs Doran, who has worked in the constituency office of Mark Lazarowicz MP and Malcolm Chisholm MSP in Leith Walk for nearly 20 years, lives with her husband Thomas and children aged 17 and 23, in Joppa. She is running in a by-election sparked by the departure of SNP councillor David Becket. At the last council elections in 2007, City Centre was the closest-fought ward, with all five main parties finishing within 278 votes of each other.

If the SNP loses, it could change the balance of control on the council, where the Liberal Democrat-SNP administration currently has 29 seats, exactly the same number as the combined opposition parties.

Councillor Andrew Burns, leader of the Edinburgh's Labour group, said: "Karen's local campaign will continue apace - she has been helped throughout the last few months by dozens of supporters who will ensure that everything runs smoothly even if Karen can't personally be around."

Also standing next week are Tory Iain McGill, Melanie Main for the Greens, Alasdair Rankin for the SNP, Alistair Hodgson for the Lib Dems, and Independent John Carson.