YORK'S Pop Idol hopeful has told of her upset after she was brushed away from the hit show's finale, despite having been asked to perform alongside winner Will Young.

Hayley Bamford, 20, was among dozens of other high-fliers from the show who were asked to join Will in a rendition of Evergreen, his new single, after 4.6 million people voted him the winner in Saturday's final.

But it all turned sour for Hayley when the hopefuls, who had taken pains to get to London for the stunt, were shunted off the stage immediately after the show, and told they could not attend a celebration party for Will.

Instead, they were each handed £20 and told to go and have a drink elsewhere.

Hayley told the Evening Press: "It was just disappointing. We had five minutes on stage before they carted us straight off. We were told there was no room for 40 of us at the party.

"We didn't really know where to go; I wasn't even sure where we were. And £20 didn't last long in the middle of London."

Hayley reached the last 50 of the ITV talent contest, singing Whitney Houston's Saving All My Love For You.

A spokesman for Pearson Television, which makes Pop Idol, said today: "The party was a special 'wrap' party for production staff and crew, as well as the ultimate finalists and judges.

"There was no question at any point that the other finalists would have been invited."

Will, 23, beat Gareth Gates, 17, from Bradford, to win the Pop Idol title.

This week he will shoot the video for his debut single, the double A-side Evergreen and Anything Is Possible, before returning to the studio to record his album.

The single will be released on February 25. Two days before, he will appear with the other finalists on a new edition of Pop Idol to chat about his hopes for the future.

Will, from Hungerford, Berkshire, received 51.3 per cent of the 8.7 million votes to win the talent show, which had gripped the nation.

The ten finalists are to come together to perform two sell-out concerts at Wembley Arena on March 14 and 15.

Telephone bosses today denied the result was a sham after some TV viewers complained they could not register their votes.

"There were a few difficulties such as engaged lines due to the sheer volume of calls, but this made no difference to the result," said Telescope chief executive Edward Boddington.

Margaret Cuthbert, from Woodthorpe, York, said she had tried in vain to register her vote for Gareth.

She said: "I am quite angry about it. They should not have been running a telephone poll if they could not cope."

Updated: 15:48 Monday, February 11, 2002