TWO Burnley councillors jailed for election fraud are to appeal against their convictions this week, the council leader has said.

Coun Gordon Birtwistle said Manzur Hussain, 58, of Milner Street, and Mozaquir Ali, 44, of Brougham Street, would officially lodge their objection to been found guilty of conspiracy to defraud the returning officer of Burnley Council.

The pair, who represented the Daneshouse with Stoneyholme ward were last week jailed for 18 months at Preston Crown Court after they submitted forms claiming voters were on holiday and needed proxy votes in the 2004 local elections.

However, a jury heard many of the families were in the UK on polling day.

Hussain and Ali have been suspended by the Liberal Democrat party and are set to be thrown off the council.

Coun Birtwistle, who is leader of the town's Liberal Democrats, said: "I spoke to their families over the weekend and I understand the documentation for the appeal will be going in.

"They are absolutely convinced they have not done anything wrong. They are appealing against the conviction not the sentence and even if they lose their council seat they want to clear their names."

Judge Andrew Gilbart QC criticised the way Burnley Council had conducted the 2004 local government elections describing the drafting of forms as "sloppy".

He also called on the Government to close a loophole which meant proxy voters did not have to fill in forms themselves.

The Electoral Commission said the proxy voting rules had since been tightened.