Red-faced staff at Rochford District Council had to send out letters to hundreds of householders after a computer put the name of an election hopeful in the wrong ward.

Rochford District Council printed a list of candidates for the forthcoming election in its newspaper Rochford District Matters, which is delivered free to thousands of homes.

However, thanks to a type-setting error, Independent candidate Helen Allen who is standing in Great Wakering Central ward, was placed in Grange and Rawreth ward.

The council had to send out letter to all voters in the two wards to clarify who was standing where.

Rochford District Council chief executive Paul Warren said: "It was a type-setting error. All the letters were sent out over the weekend along with all the polling cards."

The correct list of election candidates is as follows:

Grange and Rawreth:

Edward Francis (Lib Dem)

Gerald Mockford (Con)

David Rossi (Lab)

Great Wakering Central:

Helen Allen (Ind)

Mary Beckers (Lib Dem)

Janice Shelley (Con)

Peter Stebbing (Lab)

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