ALL-POSTAL voting will not be used in Worcester during the May local elections because of concerns over the possibility of electoral fraud.

City voters will be asked to pop along to their local polling station and tick a box in the traditional way.

The city council has refused to follow the lead of neighbouring Herefordshire County Council by using a postal-only ballot to encourage more people to exercise their right to cast a vote.

The system brought a 58 per cent turnout at the last election in Herefordshire, compared to a 35 per cent poll in Worcester.

City council deputy leader Coun Barry Mackenzie-Williams said many people in the Guildhall were "darkly suspicious" of fraud.

He said: "The last time that we were asked about using postal voting we didn't feel it was an area where we felt there was an overwhelming demand in Worcester.

"We are also darkly suspicious about electoral fraud and want to try and avoid it happening here.

"Obviously, voting at home has a greater attraction because people can just sit at home and do it, but there is a certain community spirit in going to a polling station and actually ticking a box.

"It also gives people an opportunity to make up their minds later. Postal votes tend to go out very early in the process and are sent back early.

"So certainly the view within the Conservative group on the city council is that we have to be cautious about all-postal voting."

Turnouts in local elections are typically low, as illustrated by only 35 per cent of registered voters going to the polls in Worcester last year.

All-postal voting has been used by 59 councils across England. It involves sending slips to every single household on the electoral roll for the votes to be returned in the post.

Worcester's Labour MP Mike Foster said that he wanted to see the system introduced in the city as it would increase the turnout.

He said: "In Herefordshire they used all-postal voting at the last election, and they had around twice the electoral turn out than we had in our own city.

"You have to question whether this was because the people of Herefordshire are more civic minded? The answer to that question is no. It's because voting has been made easier.

"I have asked the city council about introducing the system in Worcester, but they are just not interested in bringing it in.

"The city council will say it could be abused, but if we had twice the turnout in Worcester then that would certainly dilute the impact of any abuse."