Barry Drewitt Barlow polling station moved to Blackwater Leisure Centre

barry drewitt barlow voters in Maldon were told late on Wednesday evening to go to Blackwater Leisure Centre instead of the Drewitt-Barlow Stadium for Thursday's local elections. The change came after officers were seen at the non-league ground in Wednesday afternoon and police activity there continued into the evening.

Doug Wilkinson's decision

Doug Wilkinson, the deputy returning officer at Maldon District Council, said he had made the decision to relocate the polling station from the Drewitt-Barlow Stadium to Blackwater Leisure Centre. In a statement shared on the authority's social media pages, Wilkinson said: "In light of an ongoing police investigation, I have made the decision to relocate the polling station from the Drewitt-Barlow Stadium to Blackwater Leisure Centre."

Wilkinson also said: "Voters who were due to be voting at the Drewitt-Barlow Stadium will be re-directed to Blackwater Leisure Centre and we apologise for any inconvenience this may cause due to the very late change." The message went out late on Wednesday evening, giving voters little time before polling opened on Thursday.

Maldon and Tiptree FC ground

The Drewitt-Barlow Stadium is the home ground of Maldon and Tiptree FC, and it had been due to host polling for Thursday's local elections. Officers were seen at the ground in Maldon, Essex, on Wednesday afternoon, before the council told voters the venue had changed. The move shifted the election-day location away from the football ground and toward Blackwater Leisure Centre, where voters were told to report instead.

Essex Police officers raided properties in Danbury, Maldon and Braintree, while ITV removed its show about Maldon and Tiptree FC from its upcoming broadcast schedule. Those developments sat alongside the polling-station move, but the only operational instruction for voters was clear: anyone assigned to the stadium should use Blackwater Leisure Centre.

Blackwater Leisure Centre

For voters who had planned to cast their ballot at the stadium, the practical step was to head to Blackwater Leisure Centre for Thursday's local elections. The late notice meant the council's Facebook post and Wilkinson's statement were the key instructions before polling day began, and the relocation was made specifically because of the ongoing police investigation.