A DARTMOOR GP has emerged as the shock winner of the historic election to find the Conservative party candidate for Totnes.

Dr Sarah Wollaston, 47, now has to try to hold on to the seat, which was won at the last election by shamed MP Anthony Steen with a majority of fewer than 2,000 votes.

Her campaign was given the best possible start with the eyes of the media world on the Royal Seven Stars Hotel, Totnes, where the announcement was made on Tuesday.

In the first open primary contest of its kind in Britain, Dr Wollaston polled 7,914 votes, ahead of East Devon Council leader Cllr Sara Randall Johnson with 5,495 and Torbay's mayor – and hot favourite – Nick Bye in third place with 3,088.

The Conservative Association sent out almost 68,000 ballot papers and 16,639 were returned – a turn-out of almost 25 per cent, said Heather Burwin, chairman of the Totnes Conservative Association.

Dr Wollaston, who lives and practices in Chagford, said she was 'really surprised and really, really delighted' by the result. Being voted for by members of all parties gave her extra responsibility, she added.

Dr Wollaston paid tribute to Heather Burwin's 'remarkable leadership' in the past few months and thanked her 'wonderful husband Adrian' who has cycled hundreds of miles to drive her home from meetings.

She went on: 'This is just the beginning. Totnes is a marginal seat. I have got a big fight on my hands.'

Dr Wollaston said she would be campaigning with particular emphasis on the issues of local healthcare, championing local hospitals which were so special to rural communities, and alcohol-related crime and violence – an acute problem in society.

She claimed the government was 'in bed with the drinks industry' and Britain was spending about £10 billion a year in law and order and the NHS, fighting binge-drinking and alcohol-related crime when people knew that what worked was pricing and availability.

'We are all paying a very heavy price for ultra-cheap alcohol and we need to do something about it,' Dr Wollaston said.

She also plans to campaign on the environment. 'Totnes quite rightly has both a national and an international reputation for its environmental concerns and I am going to be spending time listening to people who champion those issues, and finding out what I can do to help.'

Mr Bye said he got exactly the number of votes he thought he was going to get. 'Unfortunately for me the others got rather more than I thought they were going to get,' he added.

The experiment in democracy had been vindicated by what he termed 'an exceptional turnout'.

He promised to 'work his socks off' for the winner, who he described as 'obviously hugely intelligent, wonderfully charming and charismatic'.

Cllr Randall Johnson said the voters of Totnes had been brought into the democratic process and the open primary had been really exhilarating and exciting.

'I do hope the Conservatives and the other political parties give the rest of the United Kingdom this opportunity in selecting your future candidate,' she said.

She went on: 'The biggest message goes out to Gordon Brown. Now we have a very strong candidate here in Totnes, please call a general election so we can return a very successful candidate from the Conservative party.'

The primary was sparked by Anthony Steen's decision to step down after the Daily Telegraph's exposure of his expenses. he claimed £87,000 during four years for his country home near Diptford. In a subsequent interview he claimed people were 'jealous' of his very large house.

Tory leader David Cameron appealed for ordinary people to come forward as candidates, and with the success of Dr Wollaston – the least experienced of the final three – the voters appear to have backed his vision.