FEEBLE poll turnouts, postal voting and boundary changes have all being blamed by Wyre councillors for one of the lowest election turnouts in history on Thursday, May 1.

In a night which saw Wyre Tories cling to power with 33 seats -- after losing stronghold wards Cleveleys Park and Norcross -- dismayed councillors and candidates clucked with disapproval as poll percentages were revealed during a count held at the Marine Hall in Fleetwood.

"Disappointing", "poor" and "frustrating", were the comments from candidates and councillors alike after more than half of Wyre's 84,798 voters failed to take part.

None of the borough's 55 wards managed to boast more than 50 per cent of voters taking part in an election which has been marred with low participation nationwide.

Surprisingly, rural Wyre led the way by topping the poll count with more than 48 per cent of residents opting to join the ballot in Cabus.

But also managed to scrape the bottom of the poll league in Pilling with the lowest number of voters at just 22.3 per cent.

Wyre council leader and conservative councillor, Alan Vincent, said they were delighted with the results despite a "lack of voters".

Cllr Vincent said: "Poor turnout has been less than encouraging all day, I'm very disappointed with lack of voters at the polls.

"But the results speak for themselves and we're delighted that people in Wyre have shown their belief in us and we will not let them down.

"We've always been dedicated to improving services and this will continue over the next four years."

Labour group leader, Councillor Keith Riley, commended the hard work of his party who managed to secure 21 seats -- three more than the 1999 election -- despite losing Fleetwood's Bailey ward to boundary changes.

And he urged Wyre residents to "make their voice heard through the vote" in future elections.

Cllr Riley said: "This experience just goes to show that postal voting has made little impact on improving the voting system and is not the way forward, as it has been hailed in the past.

"Turnout has been poor across the board and it's been an uphill struggle encouraging people to get out and vote.

"The results of some of the wards are extremely close to the opposition and it's frustrating to think that there are voters out there that have been overlooked because they didn't make it to the polls.

"If people want to see a change in the way things are then they have to get out there and make their voice heard through the vote.

"We've spent the last few months encouraging people to realise that the local election is now and the next chance they will get to made a difference will be in four years time.

"Voting is easy and it doesn't take more than a minute or two to pop down to your local polling station, put your cross on the form and slip it into the box.

"But there is no excusing those who ignore their right to vote."