VOTES for the next Thames Valley Police and Crime Commissioner are so close that officials have been forced to start counting people's second choices.

No candidate has secured 50 per cent of the first preference votes - meaning the results of the second preference votes of the top two candidates will be counted. 

Here are the results: 

Matthew Barber, Conservative party, took the lead on first preference votes with 267,404.

Labour's candidate Laetisia Carter had 175,123 votes. 

John Howson for the Liberal Democrats got 110,072 votes. 

Alan Robinson - an independent candidate - secured 77,210. 

The two candidates with the lowest votes - John Howson and Alan Robinson -  have been eliminated. 

Here are the total number of papers rejected at the first preference votes: 

Want of official mark: 55

Giving more than one candidate as first preference vote: 5,235 

Writing or mark by which the vote could be identified: 23 

Unmark as to the first preference vote: 7,533 

Void for uncertainty as to the first preference vote: 3,165 

Total papers thrown: 16,011 

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