Diana Russell, 50, from St Peters Road, West Green wanted to vote by proxy as she was on holiday on council election day and rang the council to order her forms.

But when they didn't arrive, she was told it was too late and she wouldn't be able to vote at all.

Fuming Diana said: "I'm angry about this. I feel very strongly that voting should be compulsory.

"I'm not a political person, but ever since my eighteenth birthday I've never missed a vote.

"It's very important and I'm livid, I'm really livid."

Diana said that the council originally told her it would be possible to get her forms sent out so her mother could vote for her and husband Len – despite ringing just a couple of days before the April 23 deadline.

But they failed to arrive in time and Diana said: "There would have been time for them to send them out to me by first class post, but I would have been perfectly happy to have popped down to the town hall and pick them up myself.

"I do feel responsible for booking the holiday, but I spoke to the council and they said they could send them."

A council spokesman said: "We don't know who it was she spoke to but when we get the requests we do send them out.

"She would have been advised that the best way would be to come in and fill in the forms here or download them from the internet because it was just very close to the deadline date and there was no guarantee that the form would reach her by the day.

"Certainly she would have had problems posting them back in time."