THE local council elections were plunged into fresh controversy today amid allegations that canvassers are pressurising voters into handing over their polling cards.

Police and council chiefs are investigating claims that slips bearing the name of voters and details of polling stations have been taken from homes by party activists in the Astley Bridge and Halliwell areas.

Sufrana Bashir-Ismail, the Labour Party candidate for the Crompton ward, fears they could be used by election fraudsters to cast illegal votes.

She said she had received reports from four people who have handed their polling cards to people who had asked for them after calling at houses, but feared the reports could be the "tip of the iceberg".

"There's no legitimate reason why someone would need these cards," she said.

"Firstly, it allows someone to impersonate another person at the polling station and cast a vote in someone else's name, which would be illegal.

"Secondly, it may lead the person who has handed over their card to believe that they are unable to vote, which is not the case."

Labour Party activists yesterday toured the streets of the Crompton ward, which includes parts of the town centre, Halliwell and Astley Bridge, with a loud speaker, urging voters not to hand their cards over to doorstep canvassers.

The allegations come just days after two Bolton MPs, Brian Iddon and David Crausby, met a government minister to complain about alleged harassment and intimidation which they say is being used to obtain postal ballot papers.

They claim to have information which suggests a number of voters have handed over their postal ballots after being pressured into doing so by doorstep canvassers.

The allegations are centred on the wards of Crompton, Rumworth and Great Lever, and include reports that a man was threatened with a table leg after refusing to hand over his voting papers.