BEMUSED Torfaen voters were told they could vote for Thursday's council elections by post - two days after the deadline.

The final deadline for registering to vote by post was 5pm on June 2. But polling cards giving this information arrived at hundreds of Torfaen households on June 4.

One voter who contacted the Argus slammed the council for sending the cards out too late.

"My wife and I work a lot and don't have a lot of time to sort these things out. We would have liked to vote by post and we waited for our polling cards to get more information," said the Greenmeadow voter, who preferred not be named.

"I think it's stupid to get a card two days after the deadline, even if they did let you know about it in other ways. It is just poor organisation. My wife is so angry she will not be voting."

David Murray, chief executive of Age Concern Gwent, said many elderly people in Torfaen who wanted to use the postal voting system could have missed the deadline.

"I am bitterly disappointed," said Mr Murray. " It seems as if Torfaen council have not really got their act together. The council may well have publicised postal voting in a number of ways, but the fact remains that they have an obligation to let people who can't get out of the house have a vote."

A Torfaen council spokesman said polling cards were dispatched on the previous Friday, May 28, and the council could not explain why some did not arrive until June 4.

"All of the polling cards were sent out to registered electors in the post last week. Over the last few months we have advertised in the local press, noticeboards and in our newspaper Torfaen Talks, to tell people who want to vote by post to get in touch. But of course, residents can still vote by visiting their local polling stations as indicated on their cards."