Mark Westley Photography'Mid Suffolk District Council building in Needham Market. ANL-140710-214527009

A Suffolk council has apologised after 80 residents received a voter registration letter which asks them to log on to a pornographic website.

Mid Suffolk District Council issued the letter to residents in the Claydon and Barham wards asking them to confirm who lives at their address to check who is eligible to register to vote.

However, the website given for residents to respond actually directs them to a porn site.

Mike Evans, strategic director for Mid Suffolk and Babergh District Councils, has apologised for the ‘embarrassing mistake’.

He said the letter was a second reminder to chase up residents who hadn’t responded to an initial communication on registering to vote.

He said the inclusion of the x-rated web address was a ‘technical slip’.

Mr Evans added: “Sending out this web address was absolutely not our intent and we apologise unreservedly to anyone who received it.

“It is unfortunate that the mail merged form produced for Mid Suffolk from the anonymous data on our system has led to this unacceptable mistake. It should not have happened and we are putting it right.”

A letter of apology will be hand delivered to all those affected later today or over the weekend.