A Birmingham Labour councillor and party activists were quizzed by police after being discovered sitting in cars in an Aston industrial estate at midnight with bags full of completed postal votes. Mohammed Kazi said he and his colleagues had driven to a deserted cul-de-sac near Spaghetti Junction to "sort out" the ballot papers because they were too frightened to meet in the nearby Aston Labour Party offices. Coun Kazi represents Handsworth ward but is one of three Labour candidates contesting Aston in today's city council elections. He explained why he went to Birch Road on the Wyrley estate in the early hours of Wednesday morning: "I was there with some other people. We were trying to sort out the campaign. "We wanted to sort out ballots. Postal ballots. "We wanted to get them sorted out and packed up to get to the elections office. "We were too frightened to do it in the Labour Party office. You could be robbed or anything. There are lots of incidents around the city and people are really frightened by these things. "I was there when the police turned up. I just sat there. I wanted to have an early night." After talking to several people at the scene, police officers decided to take no further action. A police spokeswoman said: "We received information regarding alleged election irregularities and attended premises in Birch Road, Witton, at 12.15 am on Wednesday. The matter is not currently subject to police action." Coun Kazi and his colleagues were tracked by a Liberal Democrat postal ballot surveillance team. Lib Dem supporters followed Coun Kazi by car from Witton Road, where Labour's offices are, to a back street off Deykin Avenue. Coun Kazi said he and his colleagues decided to go to the industrial estate because they were being intimidated by Liberal Democrats. A Liberal Democrat supporter, who said he was too frightened to be named, told how he sat in a car outside the Labour office in Witton Road from 10.30 pm on Tuesday. He said: "We had been there for about half an hour when three cars drew up. "Several people went into the building and came back out again about 15 minutes later, opened the boot of a car and placed some bags inside. "They closed the boot, got in the car and drove off. "We followed them to an industrial estate where they drove into a cul-de-sac and stopped, remaining in the car. Two minutes later a big BMW with tinted windows came in behind us. "Then a Lexus car came in travelling really fast. "In total six cars drove in and I noticed that Coun Kazi was sitting in one of the cars. "A few minutes later the police turned up and we decided to leave." The incident is the latest of numerous allegations about difficulties with postal votes in Birmingham. More than 70,000 applications to vote by post have been received by the council, a record number for any local authority election in Britain. Councillors are entitled to take postal ballot papers to the Council House, provided the forms have been filled in and properly witnessed. A dossier with allegations about postal votes was submitted to the police by John Hemming, leader of Birmingham Liberal Democrats. Coun Hemming (Acocks Green) said he viewed the latest events so seriously he had been in direct contact with the office of the West Midlands Chief Constable, Paul Scott-Lee. Coun Hemming said: "We are still owed an explanation as to why a Labour councillor found it necessary to take bag-loads of postal ballots to a deserted industrial estate at midnight. I think that is a question that needs to be answered." Council leader Sir Albert Bore said last night: "I have spoken to the Chief Constable, and whilst he has informed me that no incident which has been investigated has been deemed illegal over postal voting in Birmingham, I am alarmed about the allegations that are being made. "These allegations must all be fully investigated. In the meantime, I will be asking the Government to consider very carefully whether the wide usage of postal voting in future elections is appropriate."
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