By Dan Blows

Hundreds of angry voters across the country were not allowed to cast their ballots despite queuing for hours outside polling stations.

The understaffed polling stations could not cope with the surprise surge in turnout leading to a shortage of ballot papers and blunders over voting rules.

Scores of disappointed people had to return home without voting when doors of the polling stations closed at 10pm sharp.

Voters in London, Birmingham and Manchester were affected, and former Olympic Minister Tessa Jowell admitted that people being denied their vote was a “scandal”. 

She added: "These are queues of people exercising their democratic right and then being denied it."

Electoral Commission rules state polling stations must close their doors at 10pm and no more ballot papers should be issued after that time. 

Manchester University student, Tom Cathcart, was with a group of around 250 people left in the cold when polling closed.

He told The River: “It was outrageous really. People were in a bad mood. There were a lot of young people still queuing, so probably a lot of students. This constituency had a margin of 700 votes or so last time around so 250 votes could be crucial.” 

The Electoral Commission last night promised a “thorough review” into those constituencies where people were unable to vote.

In a statement it said: "It is a cause for serious concern that many people who wanted to vote today were unable to do so by 22:00 when polls closed."

Tempers ran high in around London as police were called to polling stations in Lewisham.

Several would-be voters in Hackney staged a sit-in when they were denied access to the polls.

Two Labour candidates in the borough - Diane Abbott and Meg Hillier - have lodged an official complaint about people who were unable to vote.

Elsewhere, protestors gathered outside the home of Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg when they were prohibited from voting in Sheffield Hallam.

Mr Clegg also paid a visit to a nearby polling station in Ranmore to apologise to those who had been waiting for over three hours.

The Sheffield returning officer, John Mothersole, was forced to issue a statement after a number of students were turned away because they did not have polling cards. “We got this wrong and I would like to apologise,” he said.  

A Facebook group set up by students in protest at the way they were treated at Ranmore already has almost 1,500 members.