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A film-maker has been announced as the Brexit Party's parliamentary candidate for Tynemouth - despite the fact he lives in Australia.

Ed Punchard currently resides in Fremantle, near Perth, but claims he is the right man to represent Tynemouth due to his connections with the North Sea.

Mr Punchard is a survivor of the world's worst offshore disaster when the Piper Alpha oil rig, 120 miles off Aberdeen, exploded in a tornado of flames, claiming the lives of 167 workers.

The diver was one of the first men to escape the inferno in 1988 and, after being picked up by the Silver Pit standby vessel, he worked tirelessly to save others before being flown to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary.

(Image: Daily Record)

The 62-year-old moved Down Under in the wake of the tragedy and set up Prospero Productions - a documentary production company based in Fremantle, near Perth, which has created a string of documentaries for the Discovery Channel and National Geographic.

After spending almost 30 years living on the other side of the world, Mr Punchard says there would be no greater privilege for him than to represent the people of Tynemouth , a place he had only 'passed through' until recently.

He told ChronicleLive : "I have a great fondness for the North East because of my time in the North Sea. It has a place in my heart forever.

"However I believe that for far too long, the people living in Northern coastal towns like Tynemouth have been too long ignored by Westminster."

When asked if him living in Australia would deter people voting for him, Mr Punchard, originally from Devon, said he is committed to the coastal town and spoke of his intentions to buy a house, if elected.

"My current address is Australia but my wife and I are in Tynemouth and looking to buy a house here", he said.

"We are dedicated to the place and plan to be here on a full-time basis.

"I think me moving here reflects how strongly I feel about representing the people of Tynemouth."

Despite being in Tynemouth a matter of weeks, Mr Punchard says there has been a clear message from constituents and has urged them to vote for him and the Brexit Party on December 12 to change British politics.

He added: "The people of Tyneside are dedicated and decent people and they are fed up to the back teeth of Parliament.

“Both of the major political parties have shown they are either unwilling or unable to follow through with the people’s decision to leave the European Union, so how can we trust them to ensure that they will continue to support the NHS, invest in greater education and trade opportunities for our young, support the regeneration of our northern economy, or increase funding for local services?

"There needs to be a sea change in the way our country is run, and after decades of the North being treated as an afterthought by the two main political parties.

"I believe is it only by voting for the Brexit Party on December 12, that real change will occur."