VOTERS going to the polls in a Hampshire borough will soon have to show ID to vote in a UK first.

Next May, voters in Gosport will have to show ID before they can vote in the local elections as part of a pilot trial by the Cabinet Office and Electoral Commission.

The trial follows figures released by the commission which showed that reports of alleged electoral fraud through voter impersonation doubled nationally between 2014 and 2016.

The form of identification to be used is yet to be set by Gosport Borough Council, but the pilot scheme will involve trialling both photo ID and non photo ID to see which is the most effective.

Cllr Graham Burgess, deputy leader of Gosport Borough Council, said: “We’re pleased to be taking part in this trial and happy to help make sure that confidence is maintained in the national democratic process.

“We’ll keep residents informed and will let everyone know what they need to do as soon as the details are finalised.”

However, Liberal Democrat councillor Rob Hylands, who represents Brockhurst on Gosport Borough Council said: “Anybody who wants to vote should be able to vote and having to produce photo ID will make it more difficult for them.

“It seems a silly way of going forward when you have a system that works already.”

Gosport will join Woking, Bromley, Watford and Slough councils in the trial, who will then feedback their results to the Electoral Commission.