ES News email The latest headlines in your inbox twice a day Monday - Friday plus breaking news updates Enter your email address Continue Please enter an email address Email address is invalid Fill out this field Email address is invalid You already have an account. Please log in Register with your social account or click here to log in I would like to receive lunchtime headlines Monday - Friday plus breaking news alerts, by email Update newsletter preferences

Exclusion zones will be set up outside almost all of Tower Hamlet’s 75 polling stations to stop potential voter intimidation.

All leave has been cancelled for Met police working in the borough so that each venue can have an officer stationed outside for Thursday's election. The exclusion zones will extend up to 30 metres.

The extra security aims to stop campaigners trying to influence voters in the Bethnal Green & Bow and Poplar & Limehouse seats. Labour candidate for Poplar & Limehouse, Jim Fitzpatrick, said the police presence was justified as you “can’t put a price on democracy”.

He said: “There’s different ways to campaign on polling day and in certain communities the culture is to get a number of supporters outside polling stations to demonstrate the support that they have. For most of us, that’s intimidating and should be discouraged. The police are there to make sure the area around the polling station is completely sterile.”

Since 2012 half of the allegations of electoral fraud in London — 224 accusations — related to Tower Hamlets.

A council spokesman said: “We have put in place tough and secure measures to combat fraud, and our response to allegations of fraud has been independently recognised as both prompt and robust by the Electoral Commission. We work closely with the police.”