MILITARY wife Victoria Jennings is used to travelling but even for her the thought of having to go thousands of miles to vote today (Thursday) was a challenge too far.

For Mrs Jennings, originally from Chippenham, but now living in America, was told by Wiltshire Council to cast her vote at Wiltshire and Swindon History Centre in Cocklebury Road, Chippenham.

She was expecting her mother to be able to act as a proxy in today's general election as has happened several times in the past but was shocked when her polling card arrived at her address in the USA in an envelope bearing a 1st class British stamp.

After failing to get any sense from Wiltshire Council she contacted the Gazette this week and said: "With all the negative new around at the moment thought I would provide a story about the Election that is slightly amusing as well as frustrating for me.

"We are military and currently posted in the USA. I have my mother registered as Proxy so she can vote on my behalf in any of the elections.

"This year, instead of my mother getting the poll card I received it here in the USA to vote at the Wiltshire and Swindon History Centre in Chippenham.

"I found that amusing first because how and I going to do that? I live in the USA. I then noticed that it came to me through international post on a first class UK stamp, which I found amazing because how did that happen, there was no international post paid? It didn't go BFPO it came to my actual US address."

She tried to contact Wiltshire Council but found this tricky as she was unable to use the council's 0300 prefix from America. When she finally did get hold of someone she was told the council had no record of her proxy vote.

She said: "This is despite doing it for the last three years with the previous general election and the Brexit vote.

"The frustrating part is they are now saying I cannot vote as I am no longer on their list for proxy. Therefore being Military, posted overseas and through incompetence they have managed to remove my right to vote"

A Wiltshire Council spokesperson said: “We have no record of a proxy vote for this applicant but unless made permanent they do lapse after each election, so people who want to vote via this method need to re-register.

"We will look into this further and establish what has happened.”