About 200 people were turned away from a polling station in the northern city of Sheffield when polls closed at 9 p.m. because election officials were unable to handle the paperwork in time.Police were also called to several polling stations across London and there were reports of people turned away from polling stations in a part of the northern English city of Manchester. Britain’s most unpredictable election in decades was expected to lead to larger numbers than normal voting. “These are very disturbing stories which clearly need to be thoroughly investigated,” a spokesman for the main opposition Conservative Party said. John Mothersole, returning officer for Sheffield, apologised to voters who were turned and said “we got this wrong.”
“We were faced with a difficult situation with the numbers of people, and a large amount of students turning up to vote without polling cards,” he said.
Sheffield postman Robin Dallman, 25, told Reuters he was one of those turned away from a polling station in Liberal Democrat Leader Nick Clegg’s Sheffield Hallam electoral district. He said he had arrived at 2030 GMT, before the 2100 deadline, but had failed to reach the door of the station, in a local church near Clegg’s home. “People want to vote, so when people aren’t allowed to vote obviously they aren’t going to be very happy,” he said. Police said they were called to a protest at a polling station in Hackney, northeast London.
About 50 voters who were unable to vote refused to leave the building, a London police spokesman said. They agreed to go after the police arrived and there were no arrests.
