TORY Theresa May visited Canvey to help bolster Rebecca Harris’s election campaign.

The Home Secretary is the most recent Conservative party grandee to visit Castle Point as Mrs Harris starts to feel the heat from Ukip who have set their sights on the seat.

Mrs May and Mrs Harris met at Gold and Diamonds jewellers in Furtherwick Road to speak to owner Harry Awidikian after his shop was targeted by armed raiders.

When asked about cuts to policing budgets and police station closures, Mrs May said she blamed the last Labour government and said forces were being encouraged to base more officers in the local community.

She said: “The reason we have had to cut policing budgets is because the last Labour government left us with the worst deficit in history.

“If you have a police station with very few people going in to it, that is not as good a way as being accessible as having police officers out in the community.

“We have to work within our budgets and look at different ways of doing things that can deliver services within our community.”

Raiders threatened Mr Awidikian with machetes, bundled him in to his shop’s toilet and stole around £15,000 of gems in February.

He and fellow traders are now planning to pay for private security guards to protect their shops.

Mrs May said: “I have asked Harry to speak to the police about what is happening in this area.”

Speaking after the visit Mr Awidikian said: “About 90 per cent of people I speak to on the island say things are getting worse and they just ask where is it going?

“People don’t feel safe in their homes anymore.

“My scheme would work by people putting money in for us to employ security.

“I foresee the problem will be encouraging the larger businesses to sign up.”