DEVON County Council is calling for the local elections in May to be postponed.

The call comes in a letter to the Local Government Association, which is the national voice of local authorities. The LGA is canvassing the views of all English county councils and unitary authorities which are due to go to the polls on May 3.

Last week Brian Greenslade, Devon County Council leader, called for the postponement, and the council as a whole has followed his lead.

West Devon and Torridge MP John Burnett said the decision should be made as late as legally possible, on Monday next week.

'If the situation is as bad as it is now, or has deteriorated, it should be postponed. It would be grossly unfair and undemocratic if people were effectively disenfranchised because of their fear of spreading the disease by voting,' he said.

Mr Burnett said the same principle applied to a general election, although the Government had more time to make a decision.

'I really believe the Government has no idea of what is really happening in a constituency like mine,' he said.

'Voters living on farms with livestock — whether infected or not — are advised to have as little contact as possible with other members of the public. Many people are isolated and could not take part in the electoral process. Candidates with livestock will have to avoid spreading the disease. Some village halls may not be able to be used as polling stations.'

Garry Streeter, MP for South West Devon, questioned whether a 'proper election' could be held in such an agricultural area.

And support for a postponement has come from Geoffrey Cox, the prospective Tory candidate for Torridge and West Devon. He said: 'It is clear we should postpone the elections. In Devon, 16 of the 54 wards have foot and mouth cases, and in half of those a farmer is the Conservative candidate. 'It is plainly not right to hold an election now. Politicians should be working together in this crisis.'

Devon County Council was due to publish the official notice of election yesterday, but delayed this until Monday because of the continuing uncertainty.