By Daily Mail Reporter
Last updated at 6:24 PM on 5th January 2011

Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg visited Oldham today ahead of next week's by-election - only for his walkabout to be hijacked by student protesters.

Oldham East and Saddleworth is one of the Liberal Democrat leader's top targets but it seems he can't shake off the students angry at his U-turn on tuition fees.

As he approached an Asda supermarket Jennifer Leah - wearing bright red wellington boots to match her thick-rimmed glasses and a fetching woolly hat - bustled her way to the front of Mr Clegg's entorage.

Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg (C) is heckled by student Jennifer Leah (red boots)

Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg (C) is heckled by student Jennifer Leah (red boots)

Along with a handful of other protesters Jennifer, from nearby Stalybridge, attempted to hold up banners behind Mr Clegg attacking his decision not to stand firm on a pre-election pledge not to increase student fees.

One of the banners read: 'Nick Clegg shame on you, shame on you for turning blue.'

But Mr Clegg's blushes were saved by his trusty aides who managed to push the 20-year-old and her friends away from what the party hoped would be an orderly meet and greet ahead of the poll next Thursday.

As Mr Clegg entered the supermarket to shake the hands of shoppers and charm checkout girls Jennifer waved her fist.

And even though the students had heckled and bashed into Mr Clegg he claimed to have no recollection of the meeting with these particular constituents.

Ambushed: Student Jennifer Leah - with warm hat and wellies to protect her from the winter weather - temporarily derailed Nick Clegg's visit where he was hoping to boost the Lib Dem's by-election hopes

There we no arrests.

After his brush with the students Mr Clegg met with a few calmer voters hoping his presence will sway the poll the Lib Dem's way.

Candidate Elwyn Watkins was just 103 votes short of unseating Labour's Phil Woolas at the General Election last May.

Mr Clegg is hoping his party will benefit from voter distaste for Labour due to Mr Woolas's removal as MP by the courts because of misleading leaflets he put out during the General Election campaign.

'We are here to win. I think the choice in Oldham East and Saddleworth is much like the choice in the rest of the country,' Mr Clegg said.

'This is the wrong time for indecision. This is the wrong time to duck tough choices and I think the people here deserve more than a blank sheet of paper from Labour.

'They deserve answers and what we are doing, the Liberal Democrats, is rolling up our sleeves to sort out the mess we have inherited from Labour to provide a better future for people here and indeed the rest of the country.

'The choice is basically between do you face up to the problems we have got or do you run away from them.

'We all want a good, clean contest where people behave in a grown up way towards each other but where we offer clear alternatives.

Nick Clegg

After his run-in with the students Nick Clegg struck a more confident pose as he canvassed door-to-door

'The choice is a fundamental one. Firstly what kind of MP do the people of Oldham and Saddleworth want. I think people were appalled that Ed Miliband gave a job to someone who was subsequently discovered to have lied his way through the election campaign

'Secondly, do you want a party like the Lib Dems who are in government getting stuck in, used to taking difficult choices, to dealing with the mess that we have inherited to give a good positive future to the country as a whole or do you want a party like the Labour Party that simply wants to stick its head in the sand and pretend the problem will somehow go away.'