Local elections polling station set up in car boot ‘after church warden overslept’

A voter has cast his ballot in a car boot after the church warden opening his polling station “overslept apparently”.

Toby Porter said he cast his vote in Oxford at 7.25am, and the normal polling station was “up and running” by 7.30am.

He said around a dozen people voted in the car before the centre at the Oxford Centre for Mission Studies was opened.

“We found it funny. Everyone was enjoying the novelty,” he told the PA news agency.

Laura Lock, deputy chief executive of the Association of Electoral Administrators, said some polling stations in cars are seen at each election.

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“All polling station staff are trained on how to set up temporary polling stations for cases just like this,” she said.

“Unfortunately we do find key holders oversleeping, so every election we see a handful of polling stations in cars until access to the building can be sorted.”

People going to polling stations on Thursday are being encouraged to take their own pen or pencil and wear a face covering due to the coronavirus pandemic.