BOLTON'S postal ballot has been branded "a shambles" as even more voters complained they had not received their voting packs.

Angry councillors hit out at the organisation of the local and European elections just one day before the polls close.

And with more than 6,000 electors believed to have not received their ballot papers through the post, people have been left asking:

What has gone wrong?

Will everyone entitled to vote be able to do so?

Why was the problem not spotted earlier?

A third emergency polling station will open in the Halliwell ward on Thursday where about 700 people are still believed to be without ballot papers.

Emergency stations could also be set up in other areas where votes have not arrived.

It follows the opening of two voting booths in the Rumworth ward where up to 3,000 people have not received their ballot papers.

Teams of council workers took to the streets on Tuesday to deliver reissued ballot papers to around 1,600 homes in the wards of Astley Bridge, Bromley Cross, Horwich North-east and Hulton.

But leading Liberal Democrat Cllr David Wilkinson, who has made a formal complaint to Bolton's Election Office, said he believed there were still hundreds of electors without ballot papers living in areas that would not benefit from the emergency measures.

He believes that around 500 ballot papers have not been delivered to voters in the Westhoughton South ward and that other wards -- such as Westhoughton North and Chew Moor -- were also affected.

Cllr Wilkinson said: "Those responsible -- whether they are with the town hall, the Royal Mail or Government -- should go."

"Despite my requests, the council refuses to hand deliver to homes in this ward and consequently the public is being deprived of its vote."

After studying town hall records of returned ballot papers, Cllr Wilkinson believes only a handful of homes along Wigan Road from the Coleman Milne car factory to the Wigan border have received ballot papers.

A Bolton Council spokesman confirmed that voters in those wards would have to travel to Bolton town hall with identification to get a replacement issued.

The spokesman added: "We are doing our best to ensure that everyone who is registered to vote can exercise their right.

"The setting up of polling stations and hand delivery of votes has been organised to make sure that voters receive their ballot papers.

"There will be a full evaluation looking at aspects of the elections not just in Bolton but also in the other pilot areas."

Conservative Cllr John Walsh said: "The ballot is a shambles. We will need to look carefully at what went wrong."

His Tory colleague Cllr Andy Morgan said: "It's a fiasco. We were against having a postal ballot and it was forced on us."

Lib Dem leader Cllr Barbara Ronson said: "I am sure there will be challenges where there are close votes."

Cllr Madeline Murray, Labour's executive member for social services, said lost votes could mean the difference between candidates winning or not winning a seat.

Polling stations have been set up on at the Sure Start centre Blackledge Street and Emmanuel Hall, Cannon Street, in Rumworth and at the UCAN centre, the former Halliwell Library, off Shepherds Cross Street in Halliwell. The ones in Rumworth will be open to 5pm on Wednesday and all will be open from 7am to 10pm on Thursday.

On a visit to Bolton on Tuesday, Foreign Secretary Jack Straw insisted the Government had been right to push ahead with postal voting in the North-west despite warnings from the Electoral Commission and opposition from Bolton Council.

Mr Straw added: "There are some individual problems in Bolton which are serious in some areas but this shouldn't detract from the success of postal voting overall.

"If I was a voter in Bolton of course I would be concerned but the electoral registration officer is making sure people will be able to exercise their democratic right to vote by Thursday.

"Generally, people in Bolton are pretty happy with the system except for some specific areas."

So far, in the whole of the Bolton area, 33 per cent of the electorate have returned ballot papers.

Meanwhile, Christine Taylor, postmistress at the Hart Common Post Office, Westhoughton, said at least 100 homes in her area had not received voting packs.

She said: "People around here are so angry and fed up at the way they have been treated that many have given up on voting.

"I have reported the problem to the council but they have not acted -- it feels like we are being made to beg for our votes."