UK election officials turn car into emergency polling station

LONDON (Reuters) - The trunk of a small family car temporarily became a polling station in eastern England on Thursday as election officials wheeled out the unusual solution when they were unable to access the official voting location.

Britain is voting to elect local and regional officials in what is seen as a chance to gauge public opinion before a national parliamentary election expected later this year.

Early voters in an area of Cambridge cast their ballots from the back of a grey Nissan Leaf plastered with printed copies of voting guidance and a large banner reading: "POLLING STATION".

"Our staff showed great initiative and used one of their own cars as a temporary polling station for the first voters," a Cambridge City Council spokesperson said in a statement.

Election staff were initially unable to access a library building due to a problem with the door codes, the city council said. The problem was resolved after about an hour and voting then shifted to its more regular setting.

(Reporting by Farouq Suleiman; editing by William James)