One Chippenham polling station is experiencing its busiest morning in 20 years.

People have been queuing out the door at the Wiltshire and Swindon History Centre, as Monkton voters turn out to make their mark in the unitary and town elections.

Ninety people had already cast their vote in the first two-and-a-half hours of the ballot opening.

Presiding officer Jacqui Young said there were even people waiting when she arrived to open the door at 6.55am.

She said: “We haven’t stopped since we arrived and the queue has been out the door a couple of times. I’ve done this job five times and it’s the busiest I’ve known it. We’ve struggled to keep up with it but we have a good system in place now.

“I don’t know why it is, maybe it’s the nice weather.

“I worked the police election too and we had one person in an hour.”

Voter Helen Osborne, of Market Quarter, Chippenham, said: “You’ve got to try and make a difference. I’m not expecting any big chances though.”

The electoral process was not as hurried at the Hardens & England and Lowden & Rowden polling station at Neeld Hall, where one election candidate had been stationed since 7.15am. He said: “There’s been about 12 to 15 people visiting per hour. It’s picking up and I expect there will probably be about 25 an hour at this rate from about 9am onwards.”

One of the poll workers said: “We expect to get the mad rush after 7pm.”

After making his choice, Rev Simon Tatton-Brown, of St Mary Street, Chippenham, said: “If you don’t bother to vote, we don’t have a democracy.”

Polling stations close tonight at 10pm.