A local council has been criticised after it mislaid two full ballot boxes and left them uncounted until after the winner had been declared.

Broxtowe Borough Council was forced to immediately disclose the accident after the two boxes were found and issue a recount for the Eastwood Hilltop seat, Nottinghamshire.

The embarrassing admission came just moments after Labour leader Milan Radulovic was announced as the winning candidate.

"It's unbelievable this has happened. I would expect someone to either resign or be sacked,” the Liberal Democrat leader David Watts told the Nottingham Post.

It is thought that as many as 1,000 votes were accidentally mislaid after the boxes were left in a polling station.

After a recount, agreed by all candidates, it was found that Mr Radulovic had retained his seat with 844 votes, rather than the originally counted 424.

“I'm obviously very relieved. It's been a very traumatic experience,” the local Labour leader said.

Mr Radulovic extended his sympathies to the other candidates, adding: "Despite the fact that perhaps we don't get on all the time there's a rapport between us and I do feel for those who have been put through the emotional wringer twice and come short twice.”

Broxtowe Borough Council issued a statement in which they acknowledged the mistake and said after considering the “legal position” of a recount, and with the candidates’ permission, it was “agreed that the additional votes should be counted and added to provide an accurate total.”