INQUIRIES are continuing into allegations of a postal vote irregularities in Pendle in the run-up to local elections.

Details of the investigation were revealed as Liberal Democrat peer Lord Greaves raised the issue in the House of Lords and asked whether the safeguards had operated satisfactorily.

He told the House yesterday: "Some 984 postal votes in four marginal wards were sent out, not to the electors to whom they were addressed but to a number of central addresses which turned out to be those of close relatives of Labour candidates or of known party activists.

"The votes were then delivered -- if they were delivered at all -- to the electors at a time and in a manner of their choosing.

"Do you agree that that should not happen within the posting voting regulations and that the potential for abuse -- people walking down the street with fists full of postal voting papers belonging to other people -- is huge?

"Before any further extension of postal voting can take place, do you also agree that some of the loopholes that are being discovered and exploited should be investigated and closed?"

Local Government Minister Lord Falconer said: "I cannot comment on the allegations as I know nothing about them.

"The Electoral Commission looked at the overall conduct of the general election and came to the conclusion that there was no reason to suppose that there had been increased fraud in relation to an increase in postal voting."

Philip Mousdale, the council's secretary and solicitor, said today: "We have had three written complaints and also had around 15 verbal complaints.

"We have passed them on to the police and are hoping to have a further discussion with them this week to discuss which complaints are worth taking forward."

Labour leader Coun Azhar Ali disputed the Liberal Democrat allegations and said his party had received complaints of bullying and threats to voters.

Labour spokesman, Coun Mohammed Iqbal, said today: "We stand by what we have said all along. We have done nothing illegal. If people themselves choose to have their postal applications sent to common addresses where heads of families live that is their choice."