HUNDREDS of residents of East Lancashire have signed up to vote on December 12 since the General Election was called.

The latest government figures show a surge in voter applications on Friday, two-thirds from people under 34.

According to Cabinet Office statistics, a total of 308,000 online registrations were made on November 22 of which, 103,243 were aged 25 to 34 and 102,768 were aged under 25.

Th deadline for registration, which can be done online, is 11.59pm tonight.

The big rise in younger voters could indicate problems for the Tories whose voters are predominantly older according to 2017 election data which shows less than a quarter of voters between 18 and 29 supporting them.

The number of new vote registrations in Blackburn constituency since the election was called at the end of last month is 494 and in Rossendale and Darwen 233.

Burnley has seen 398 new applications since November 11 while marginal Pendle saw a spike in registrations after the ITV Leaders Debate on November 19 and another 240 on Sunday.

Blackburn's electorate has risen to 70,818, Rossendale and Darwen's to 28,986, and Burnley's to 63,791. There are no figures for Hyndburn and Ribble Valley.

David Fairclough, Deputy Returning Officer for Blackburn, said: “The clock is well and truly ticking on the deadline to register to vote for this general election. Registration closes at midnight on November 26. Voting in elections is an important feature of our democracy and I hope everyone will take a few minutes to register so they can vote on December 12.”

Mick Cartledge, acting returning officer for the Burnley, said: "You have until midnight on Tuesday to make sure you are registered to vote, if you haven't already done so. Don't miss out on having your say on who represents you and your area in Parliament. It only takes five minutes by logging on at www.gov.uk/register-to-vote and all you need to know is your National Insurance number."