Labour has received the fewest large donations of the three main parties in Watford since 2001.

The party, which held the parliamentary seat between 1997 and 2010, has received more than £29,000 between 2001 and 2010.

Among its donors are two trade unions: the Communications Workers Union, which has given £6,000, and Unison, which has given £875.

Companies Sigma Pharmaceuticals and Rainbow Fostering Services also helped boost the party’s coffers with combined donations of more than £6,000.

Mike Jackson, Watford Labour’s agent, said: “Although we have had a couple of big donations around election time, most of the year it comes almost entirely from local members.”

Mr Jackson, who stood as Labour parliamentary candidate in 1987 and 1992, said the party received little funding from the national party and had to fund its election efforts through its own local fundraising.

However he launched an attack on the Conservatives, whose last Watford councillor defected to the Liberal Democrats last month, saying they were trying to “buy” victory in 2015.

He said: “The worry is that Richard Harrington will try to buy the election as he has not got any people and he has not got any councillors so he will have to pay people to do it. We will be keeping a close eye as that has to be declared.”