ANGRY voter Eric Lumb has blasted a local council after he was left off the electoral register -- despite living at the same address for more than 30 years.

The blunder by Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council means Eric, 73, of Langdale Road, Feniscowles, is ineligible to vote in this year's local elections.

It will be the first time he will have missed out on voting for 30 years -- 15 of which he spent at sea!

The die-hard Conservative found he had been left off this year's register when his wife Patricia's polling card turned up, but there was no sign of his.

Eric, a retired Merchant Navy ship's officer, said: "I rang the council to inquire as to where mine was, and they told me I had been left off the electoral register.

"It seems quite bizarre that I am removed off the list after living at the same address for 34 years."

He added: "I have made a point of voting every year, even when I have been away at sea, when I used to vote by proxy."

The council's mistake comes at a time when it is trying to boost local election turnout -- which slumped to an all-time low in Blackburn with Darwen last year -- by opening a weekend polling station in Blackburn and Darwen town centres. Blackburn with Darwen Council's director of legal and administrative services Catherine Parkinson said: "We deeply regret that Mr Lumb has, unfortunately, been left off the electoral register.

"As with most authorities, there is a tremendous amount of information to process at election time and mistakes do occur very occasionally.

"Unfortunately, the law does not allow us to correct any errors once nominations have closed, despite the fact that we asked the Government for discretion in cases such as this. Therefore the matter cannot be rectified in time for next month's elections.

"However, the issue will be put right at the earliest opportunity. We sincerely regret this inconvenience to Mr Lumb who we know has been a regular voter in the borough for many years."