Ballot papers stolen as by-election staff confronted by robbers

Police are investigating the incident, which took place outside Dawley Town Hall at around 11.50pm on Thursday, December 16.

Staff from Telford & Wrekin Council who had been conducting the counts for two by-elections were approached by a group of men as they left the building.

Two officials were reportedly threatened, with a bag containing around 800 ballots from the election in the Aqueduct ward of Dawley Hamlets Parish Council stolen.

David Sidaway, chief executive of Telford & Wrekin Council and the returning officer for the election, said it had been a "very distressing incident".

He said support and counselling had been offered to the staff affected, but added that the incident had no effect on the outcome of the election, as the ballots had already been counted.

It is understood that they would have been sealed in storage for 12 months before being destroyed as per policy.

It has also been confirmed that none of the ballots contained any personal information to identify potential voters.

Mr Sidaway said it was an "unpleasant and upsetting experience for all involved", adding it was "totally unacceptable".

He also praised the election staff for the way they had conducted the earlier elections, with both the parish council election and the vote for the Dawley and Aqueduct ward of Telford & Wrekin Council taking place that evening.

He said: "This was a shocking incident at the end of a successful, well-managed election count. Our officers have the right to do their job in a safe environment without fear of attack.

"What happened on Thursday evening was an utter disgrace and we will work tirelessly with the police to ensure justice is delivered.

“We will continue to support our colleagues who were the subject of this traumatic incident.”

A joint statement has also been issued by the three main political parties, which all fielded candidates in the parish by-election.

They said: "The Labour Party, Liberal Democrats & Conservatives outright condemn the deeply troubling incident that took place following the by-election count on the evening of Thursday, December 16.

"Council staff should not have faced such a harrowing attack and we want to express our thanks and support to Telford & Wrekin Council and their staff for all their hard work in preparation for this by-election and the way they conducted themselves. Our thoughts are with the staff affected.

"Importantly, we are in no doubt as to the outcome of the Dawley Hamlet’s by-election. The result had been declared and finalised before this incident took place.

"We understand that there is a police investigation underway, and we encourage local residents to support this where possible ensuring that those responsible are held accountable."

West Mercia Police said that "enquiries are ongoing" in relation to the incident.

A spokesman for the force has appealed for anyone with information to contact them.

He said: "Around 11.50pm on Thursday, December 16, officers received a report of robbery on King Street, Dawley.

"A quantity of voting ballots was reported stolen.

"No injuries were reported but members of the public reported being threatened.

"Officers attended and conducted a search of the area.

"Anyone who saw a group of men in the area or captured them on dash cam is asked to visit westmercia.police.uk/tua/tell-us-about/ quoting reference 730 of 16 December."

The election saw Labour's Ian Preece elected to the parish council seat, and Bob Wennington, also representing Labour, elected in the borough council contest.