An internal investigation has been launched this morning following an email sent out by the council containing incorrect European election information.

Correspondence sent out to residents by Waltham Forest Council caused confusion, giving them the wrong information about which polling station to go to in order to vote.

Polling cards are yet to be distributed, but the authority wants to reassure people that when they are sent out the information on them will be absolutely correct.

The council has called the mistake a “human error” and apologised profusely, citing the short notice for the upcoming elections on May 23 for the blunder.

In a statement posted to the council’s website, a spokesman said: “We are very sorry for any confusion caused this morning with regard to emails received about the European Parliament Elections due to be held on Thursday, May 23.

“We quickly discovered that some residents had received the wrong information about their polling station, which we have immediately corrected.

“We sent this email to quickly give residents information because of the short notice of these elections. This was a human error and we apologise for any confusion or concern this has caused.

“We would like to reassure residents that your polling card will be correct when it arrives in the post and residents will not be able to vote twice because they will not appear on the register in the incorrect polling station.

“We are launching an internal investigation into how this happened, so it can be prevented from happening again.”