So here we go again!

I’m not sure my heart can take it. It nearly packed up last time.

The dust is settling on the news of a rather unexpected General Election. And Thurrock will once again become the focus of a nation.

That extraordinary night in May 2015 will live long in the memory. At the count the tension was something else, like nothing I’d experienced before.

There was real confidence from the Ukip quarters. Then in the early hours I remember Labour candidate Polly Billington arriving on the scene and seeming to have the confident aura of the winner.

Yet it was Conservative Jackie Doyle-Price who stole the show and held onto her seat by the slimmest of margins.

Just a few hundred votes separated the borough’s big three - it really was extraordinary stuff.

Now battle lines are being drawn and we’re going to have to do it all over again.

And it is guaranteed to be one hell of fight.

MEP and Thurrock councillor Tim Aker was quick after Tuesday’s announcement to throw his hat into the ring and have another crack at toppling Ms Doyle-Price.

So, is anyone out there brave enough to call a winner this time around? Can JDP make it a hat-trick of wins? I don’t know, but one thing’s for sure it promises to be another unforgettable night of high drama.