A RISE in turnout at the local elections has been marred by a staggering 6,819 spoiled papers in Bolton.

Although overall turnout reached 42 per cent, up nearly 10 per cent on the last poll, nearly 7000 spoiled votes were returned.

The areas worst affected by spoiled papers were Horwich, where 751 papers were incorrectly completed, 17 per cent of the overall vote; Kearsley, where 16 per cent of papers were spoiled (598 votes) and Breightmet which suffered from 15 per cent spoils (522 votes).

Fears were raised earlier this week by Conservative councillors and members of the public that ballot slips would be returned unsigned or invalidated in other ways.

Astley Bridge councillor Stuart Lever was one of those who criticised the poll. "The ballot paper was too difficult to fill in," he said. "That's the top and bottom of it. No account was taken of people who cannot read or write.

"We knew it would be in the thousands. It was a voting system for the middle classes and it was unfair."