POLICE have been called in to investigate allegations of proxy vote irregularities in Burnley's Daneshouse ward.

It follows complaints from people that they had been registered to have votes cast on their behalf without their knowledge.

Town hall election officers said they had received many calls from residents in the fiercely-contested ward saying they had not given their permission to become proxy voters.

Officers have received more than 1,150 applications for proxy votes in Daneshouse - by far the highest total in Lancashire - where there is a two-cornered contest between defending Liberal Democrat Mozaquir Ali and Labour's Saeed Akhtar Chaudhary at next week's council election.

Labour ward councillor Rafique Malik has told council election chiefs that although a person carrying proxies on behalf of absent voters could vote only twice, some of the nominees were holding up to seven proxy votes.

He believed up to 100 proxy votes could be ruled out of order.

Council election officer Tom Forshaw said there could be several good reasons for the apparent discrepancies, but it was right the police should be asked to investigate the situation.

Coun Malik said the Daneshouse election had become a farce, with more than a quarter of all voters in the ward apparently claiming proxy votes.

He said: "I have a dozen people who will testify they have been nominated to have votes cast on their behalf without their knowledge.

"Some thought they were signing a protest petition when they were asked to sign the proxy forms.

"It is a clear breach of election law."

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