Town councillors in Trowbridge have owned up to casting multiple votes in the Wiltshire Times weekly internet vote.

The poll had to be abandoned last week after one person voted more than 1,200 times in answer to the question should councillors who voted for a 48 per cent increase in the council tax resign'.

Councillors Andrew Bryant, Malcolm Rosier, Jeff Osborn and Tom James have admitted they voted more than once in the poll. Cllr James, who voted in favour of the council tax hike, said: "I did vote a number of times. I was watching it and it was going up and up and up and I thought this isn't right'."

Cllrs Jeff Osborn and Andrew Bryant, who oppose the tax increase, also admitted they voted more than once. Cllr Osborn said: "I did it four to five times just to see if it could be done."

The weekly vote has now been suspended for a thorough investigation into how people could vote more than once. Out of 2,751 no' votes cast in the poll, 1,252 came from one computer, this same computer was also registered as casting 131 yes' votes.

Wiltshire Times editor Andy Sambidge said: "We are determined to get to the bottom of who it was that cast so many votes and we would be keen to hear from anyone with any information that can help." The Wiltshire Times rang each member of Trowbridge Town Council to ask if they had voted.

  • Angela Milroy: "I voted once. It is a controversial subject and obviously some people felt it was important to push up the numbers."
  • Arthur Ransom: "I did vote but just once."
  • Graham Hedley: "I didn't vote more than once, but I know someone who told me they did."
  • Gerry Burnan: "I voted once, which is what I thought I should do."
  • John Knight: "I didn't personally vote myself. My wife voted and my son."
  • Mary Stacey: "I voted once."
  • Helen Osborn: "I am very angry about it. I voted once and I actually think it is wrong and immoral to vote more than once."
  • Graham Payne: "I voted and I only voted once."
  • Graeme Hawley: "I wouldn't know how to vote with a computer."
  • Peter Fuller: "I didn't vote at all. What happened is sad really because it messed it all up."
  • Nick Blakemore said he tried to vote but couldn't.
  • Cllrs Marcus Francis, Grace Hill, Bob Brice, Phil Amor and Glyn Bridges were unavailable at the time of going to press.