Council apologises after thousands incorrectly told they have been removed from the electoral register

As many as 3,000 people have been sent official letters telling them that they have been removed from the electoral register.

Swindon Borough Council mistakenly sent out the letters to those who had registered as wanting a postal vote - telling them that they had been removed from the register. The error was caused by printers using an outdated distribution list.

In a message on their Facebook page, the council  writes: “Anyone who received a letter dated 4 November entitled ‘Notice of Review of Registration Entitlement’ should ignore it.

“We will be writing to every resident who has received a letter in error to explain what has happened and to apologise.”