BLACKBURN Conservatives are calling on Blackburn with Darwen Council to drops plans for postal voting in next year's elections until a police investigation has been concluded.

Chairman of Blackburn Conservative Association, Joe Smith, spoke out after the ruling Labour group at Blackburn town hall said it would welcome universal postal voting.

Mr Smith said: "A motion was passed at a recent council meeting welcoming any move by the Electoral Commission to extend universal postal voting to the borough.

"That the council could even consider such an extension of the postal vote when allegations of electoral fraud during the 2002 election are still under investigation beggars belief."

Conservative group leader Councillor Colin Rigby said he also had concerns about postal voting.

He added: "The Council has been given an option to have postal votes next year. With the ongoing problems that are still under investigation my view is that we should not even consider it."

But council leader Sir Bill Taylor said he was in favour of postal votes. He added: "It would not be appropriate to comment about any current investigation but we need to be looking at ways to encourage and enable more people to vote.

"Postal voting is one of those measures and I am still in favour ."

A police spokesman said an investigation into electoral irregularities stemming from the 2002 council elections in Blackburn was ongoing and that a file had been passed to the Crown Prosecution Service.