TENS of thousands of polling cards will have to be re-sent to Oxfordshire constituents because of a printing blunder.

About 43,000 voters in the Wantage constituency will be sent new cards after voters were told to go to the wrong polling stations for the General Election.

If residents show up at the wrong location on Thursday, May 6 they will not be able to vote.

The polling cards were sent out under the supervision of Vale of White Horse District Council, which last night apologised for the error.

The council’s chief executive David Buckle, who is the acting returning officer for Wantage, said reprinted cards would now be sent to all registered voters in the constituency as a priority.

He said: “We think it has probably affected the whole of the Wantage constituency within the Vale of White Horse. It’s about 43,000 people.

“The problem is they have been told to go to the wrong polling station.

“The printers are trying to work out what went wrong.

“This is an error by our printers and they don’t deny that.

“The cost will be met by the printer.”

Mr Buckle said new cards would be clearly marked as the correct version, but added: “If you do turn up to the wrong polling station you will not be able to vote as you will not be on the register.”

He said the error, which directed voters to polling stations many miles from the correct location, was easy to spot and staff would be working hard over the next four weeks to clear up the confusion.

Mr Buckle also ruled out fears that people would be able to vote twice.

He said: “You are only on the register in one place and you can only vote in one place.”

Asked if council staff could have done more to prevent the error he said: “I don’t know what else we could have done. We proof-read and proof-read the data we sent off to the printers. Somehow the wrong data is on the cards.

“My priority is to get the correct polling cards out. People will have the correct cards by Monday. It’s not the worst thing that could go wrong, but it does not do our reputation any good.”

Slough-based company Print.UK.Com carried out the print jon and managing director Paul Foley said: “It was a data error on our part affecting 50 per cent of the electorate.

“Everything has been corrected and new cards have been issued today. The customer is pleased with our reaction to the error.

“We are picking up the entire bill as it is our error.”

Malcolm Collins, of Orchard Way, Wantage, was stunned when his polling card hit his doormat yesterday.

He said: “We should be voting at the Scout hall in Wantage but the polling card says Sutton Courtenay Village Hall. That’s about 10 miles away.

“It has left David Buckle with egg on his face.”

Raymond Hale, from Southmoor, added: “Apparently I have to go to St Swithuns School in Kennington but we always vote at our village hall.

“It’s unbelievable.”

cburatta@oxfordmail.co.uk