TURNOUT figures for the Euro election postal vote could reach 50 per cent, it was predicted today.

Politicians busy canvassing in York and North Yorkshire forecast that numbers could easily double those seen in the last EU poll.

The 1999 election produced a regional turnout of about 20 per cent at polling stations.

This meagre total was the driving force behind the Government introducing all postal ballots aimed at swelling voter participation in four regions, including Yorkshire and Humberside.

Labour candidate David Bowe said the mail experiment looked like being a first-class success - even before any last-minute surge ahead of yesterday's postal deadline

He told the Evening Press: "I've not seen the latest figures, but by the end of last week, figures were already past the turnout for the last European elections.

"From the doors I've been knocking on, a lot of people have voted who we initially thought wouldn't bother."

Mr Bowe, seeking re-election as a regional MEP, said: "I would be pretty confident we are going to hit 40 per cent.

"It stood at 30 per cent at the weekend and there's always a last-minute surge. Some of the smaller postal districts are already up to 40 per cent."

City of York Council confirmed its turnout stood at 30 per cent on Monday, with more votes expected to flood in before the final 'hand delivery' deadline of 10pm on Thursday.

"A lot of people could leave it until the last minute," said a council spokesman.

Tory Euro hopeful Ian Bruce said the 50 per cent total could be hit by Thursday night, despite postal votes being affected by a series of snags including late delivery in Elvington and confusion over new vote forms.

He said the Tories remained "enthusiastic" about postal voting, but that a polling station alternative should remain.

"Some people have said to me that they have thrown their voting pack away in disgust because they can't go to the ballot box," said Mr Bruce.

Mr Bruce said he reckoned the threat to the Tory vote from the anti-European UK Independence Party had been overstated in York.

He said out of 300 Tory voters he phoned, only three said they would switch to the UKIP.

He blamed opinion polls canvassing people with "exaggerated opinions" who do not vote.

Updated: 08:37 Wednesday, June 09, 2004