An 87-year-old woman has been turned away from today’s local elections for not having ID – despite voting in every election in her adult life.

The pensioner attacked the “stupid” system after taking a taxi to her local polling station in Pendle, Lancashire, only to be told she couldn’t vote.

She told the Mirror she brought a photograph of herself, rather than a photo ID, after she misunderstood the instructions.

Pendle Borough Council returning officer Philip Mousdale told the Mirror he was “very sorry” to hear about the case and “the last thing we want is people being unable to vote.”

It came as voters across 248 areas elected 8,425 councillors in today’s town hall elections – with polls closing at 10pm.

Most voters can cast their ballot simply by giving their name. But 10 council areas – including Pendle – are piloting a controversial anti-fraud scheme that demands ID from voters before they can cast their ballot.

The scheme is being rolled out by the Tory government at a cost of millions of pounds despite just eight allegations of in-person voter fraud last year.

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn responded to our story by saying: “The Conservatives are trying to rig our elections by making it harder for people to vote – it’s voter suppression. These dangerous voter ID plans must be scrapped.”

The Mirror knows the woman’s identity but she asked to stay anonymous. She said: “I am nearly 90. And the officers that were on, they know me, but they weren’t allowed to let me vote. How stupid is that?”

The pensioner claimed she had voted in every election since she came of age at 21 – even small local elections. But speaking just after lunchtime, she said she was not planning to return to vote before polls closed today at 10pm.Read more

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