Police called to Sussex polling station '˜over pen lending'

A video of a Sussex Police officer quizzing a lady who lent pens to other voters at a polling station has attracted more than 1,500 retweets on Twitter.
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Police

The Chichester voter, who gives her name as Jacqueline Linda Jackson, filmed a PCSO taking down her details and avidly defended her right to allow others to borrow her stationery for the referendum ballot.

The officer is heard explaining that there are pencils available in all ballot stations and that people are allowed to bring their own pens or ask to borrow one.

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A conspiracy theory that MI5 are rubbing out ballots completed in pencil has been widely circulated under the hashtag #UsePens.

Sussex Police responded: “Police were called to Durnford Close, Chichester at around 12.25pm on Thursday June 23 by a volunteer reporting a disturbance outside a polling station.

“A PCSO who was in the area went to the scene and spoke with a woman who was handing out pens.

“No offences were committed and it is not being treated as a police matter.”

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