Polling station gates closed

VOTERS with mobility problems were left frustrated when the car park to Redmoor Academy - a polling station in the EU Referendum - was locked shut.

The gates to the parking area by the school gym, where polling was taking place, were closed and secured for a short time on Thursday morning as people turned out to choose In or Out.

One voter, who wished to remain anonymous, said: “When I made enquiries I was told too many people were turning up to vote and that was why the gates were shut. How they could have been surprised at a high turnout I don’t know.

“It meant people had to find a parking space close to the school, which is really difficult, then walk across the field to get to the building. There was no car parking available at all.

“I spoke to an elderly man who had left his wife in tears in the car because she couldn’t walk that far. I thought it was dreadful that people with disabilities or the elderly were not able to cast their vote when they turned up. Someone had arrived in a taxi also.

“I was able to vote but a lot of people weren’t and lots of people were just turning round and heading home.”

A spokesman for Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council, which oversees election processes, said the gates had been locked for a short time on Thursday morning but were soon reopened.

She said polling officials were not aware of lots of people being unable to cast their vote.