This can only help the BNP. Wakefield and Hyde should be ashamed of themselves. The chatter amongst the Labour Party Right in Leeds will doubtless centre on the unfairness of being caught out doing what the other parties are believed to do as no less a matter of course.

Paul, Leeds,

That explains how we've had New Labour voted in for ten years when no one I know claims to have voted for them!

Andy, Whitchurch,

This is another example of why I reverted from postal voting to attending the polling station. My local elections officer even had the gall to tell me that fraud was impossible.

Fred Godfrey, Tyne and Wear, England

To Anon (English National)

I don't live in what you'd call an ethnic constituency, but every election we also get a van with a loudspeaker telling people where to put their cross on the ballot paper. But that's my local Conservative party for you.

Silas, Solent, UK

The Labour Party is a scandal!

John Salkeld, Sheffield, England

Surprised? No, not at all, such are the depths to which NuLab will go/ have gone, to stay in power, to deny responsibility for anything, to remain utterly unaccountable. The nightmare possibility of our political system - maleveolent electoral dictatorship has become a reality, and we the voters are now simply a nuisance for Bliar and his henchmen.

Be afraid. Be very afraid.

Jeremy Poynton, Fromeville, 51st State

As a Labour actvist we always state on our leaflets NOT to hand your postal vote to anyone and post it yourself.We did this as we had suspicions that another party was collecting postal ballots on polling day.To say this is a 'Labour' issue alone is nonsense. It's a shame the Sunday Times didn't go undercover with several other parties too.

Brian McNulty, Merseyside,

We live in Blair's Banana Republic what can you expect?

Jacky , Grimsby, Lincolnshire

This is utterly disgraceful. As someone has already pointed out it is hard enough to get people to vote nowadays but if it is widely believed that votes are corrupt then democracy is as good as dead in this country.

I am very surprised Tony Blair has not acted on this TODAY.

Tom Maxwell, Redhill,

I am not surprised by this revelation. Many have suspected that recent meddling in the voting system, despite claims of good intent, has been a smokescreen and that the opening up of postal votes was an opportunity to fix results. The postal vote should be a privilege of last resort. There is no substitute for an individual making the effort to turn up in person and voting in secret by placing a mark on a piece of paper - that is democracy. Many of those using the postal vote have no need for it whatsoever.

simon, Kent,

I have doubted the outcome of the last general election for some time. It is very hard to find many people who admit voting for New Labour that I have difficulty believing that they actually won. After all, New Labour have a long history of fiddling the figures, how is an election any different?

David, London,

This is the guy (Wakefield), who was reported to the Electoral Standards Board, when he wanted my wife sacked from her job as a carer, because she stood as a candidate for the BNP!!

Personally, i know who i would trust to look after me, and it wouldnt be anyone from the party who could show mugabe some new tricks!!!

JOHN HIRST, wakefield, WEST YORKSHIRE

What the h-ll is happening in this country?. This dreadful Labour government and all its hangers on who think themselves above the law should be ousted from parliament RIGHT NOW. They have made a mockery of our our once admired voting system, and turned the country into something akin a banana republic. Does anyone wonder why one of Labours first jobs on attaining power was to repeal the death sentence for treason?. I look to all of the establishment parties and see only the same, so its time for a change, vote for a party that at least has the good of the Brittish people at heart and the survival of our ways and customs, like that once untarnished electoral system!, lets take our country back. Vote BNP

daniel levinson, Glasgow,

Typical Labour denial. They are caught out and recorded telling students to break the law. They should accept they have been caught, resign immediately and save the party further embarrassment. I thought Blair was putting an end to sleaze. Unless they have the decency to resign now, I shall never vote Labour in Leeds again.

Richard D, Leeds,

This, surely, is why we traditionally have voting booths in which people are able to cast a private vote without the knowledge of anyone else as to their preference. It is one of the greatest scandals of the Labour years that they have deliberately encouraged postal voting and thereby made voting-fraud so much easier. The incoming Conservative or Conservative/Liberal alliance Government should make the abolition of postal voting, except in exceptional cases, a priority The only exceptions should be for those totally unable to leave the house or resident abroad but still entitled to a vote.. After all, if fit, healthy people can't be bothered to go to their local balloting centre to cast their vote, in person they don't deserve to have one.

Adrian Gilbert, Tonbridge, England

How low can our country go? When a senior police officer considers a criminal offence to be 'extremely sharp practice' we are in trouble. Presumably his expensive diversity and racism awareness training have not equipped him to recognise genuinely illegal activity. David Crompton should be called on to resign.

Ian Lambton, Lytham St Annes, Lancashire

When postal voting rules where revised by Labour they were repeatedly warned that the system was flawed and open to abuse and fraud, as usual they pressed ahead regardless, so now we have abuse and fraud. This is not the way to encourage people to take part in the 'democratic' system, is the next step to have gangs of activists outside polling booth's armed with cudgels or free handouts (carrot and stick). Hogarth would no doubt say: same old, same old. Here comes the first rotten borough of the 21st century.

john.L, leeds, u.k.

Mark R from Coventry ---- the only country which admires our voting system is Mugabes! We are actually the laughing stock of the world. Don't hold your breath waiting to see prison sentences handed out -- labour people are above the law. As far as Labour are concerned, you ought to lower your expectations mate. They consistently set low standards, and ALWAYS fail to achieve them.

JOHN HIRST, wakefield, WEST YORKSHIRE

I second TomTom's suggestions about Urdu-speaking investigators, to which I would like to add that the Bangladeshi community is similarly very vulnerable to this kind of fraud.

Is it getting to the stage that UN obsevers will have to monitor our elections?

Sarah N, London, UK

There should be no postal voting except in the most exceptional circumstances: ideally if the application is accompanied by a doctor's certificate. For those in more remote areas there should be some kind of mobile polling booth (with locked box of course) which would be accompanied by two police officers or credited polling officials as it made its way round the given area.

A J McC, Doncaster,

This just shows the depths to which the labour party are willing to sink to hold on to the last remnants of power. This is disgraceful!

C. Lovell, leeds,

Free and fair voting rights are at the heart of our democracy.
Any slightest infringement or fraud must be dealt with harshly, never mind the overflowing prisons. It is hard enough to get anyone to vote anyway. If the perception is that there is widespread fraud then the country will start to go down a very uncertain path

Kathy, Ormskirk,

An Asian friend from a predominantly-Bangladeshi community told me that it is common practice for vans with loudspeakers to tour their area with instructions in Bengali as to where to put your cross. It should be absolutely essential for ALL voters in English elections to prove they speak and understand basic English BEFORE they are allowed to vote. Similarly, male 'heads' of Asian householders should not be allowed to rule over and collect their female family's (non-English-speaking) postal votes.

anon., an English national,

I'm thoroughly ashamed of the Labour party for tarnishing our much respected voting system. Those members responsible should be thrown out of politics and put through the judicial system.
This extreme bad publicity will now lose them more votes than they garnered. I for one will not be voting Labour this time.

David P, Leeds, England

This has been suspected for a while - be interesting to have Urdu-speaking undercover journalists to see which parties are defrauding Asian women of their votes. Time for a Fre Hotline to report fraud to The Electoral Commission with multilingual lines.

We anticipate fraud and postal ballot catastrophe followed by High Court writs

TomTom, Leeds, England

The police must act on this. The voting system in this country is admired the world over. Basically we are honest. Assuming this to be true, I expect to see prison terms meted out

Mark R, coventry,