NEARLY 19,000 general election postal votes are expected to be cast across Herefordshire today (Thursday), but there are real worries as to what those votes will deliver.

Polling stations are ready for a late rush as postal votes are handed in personally rather than put through the mail.

Complaints about papers allegedly not arriving, arriving late, arriving when they were not wanted, or being sent with a ballot card that could allow the recipient to vote twice, have all come in since campaigning in the county's two constituencies started.

Acting returning officer Neil Pringle acknowledged anxieties over the system saying that precautions were in place to ensure the security of the ballot.

In Hereford, one of the country's most marginal seats, 10,290 of the 70, 941 eligible voters have registered to vote by post.

Leominster expects 8,312 postal votes from an electorate of 62,484.

Mr Pringle said that once a postal vote had been issued, the voter could not vote at the local polling station.

Postal voters could, however, deliver their votes to the polling station if they did not have time to send them by mail. "The presiding officer will not place the postal vote in the ballot box, but will ensure that it is delivered to the count along with the box," he added.

Postal votes can also be handed in at the Electoral Registration Office, behind 11 Corn Square, Leominster, before 5pm today.

The office can also re-issue ballot papers where postal vote applicants have not received the right papers - provided the applicant has proof of identity like a new-style driving licence or passport, or two documents which show their name and address.