Council officials sent a former soccer star instructions on how to vote - almost two years after paying for his funeral.

Wartime West Ham player Peter Mahon died a pauper and his funeral was paid for by Brighton and Hove City Council.

But that did not stop bosses sending him a leaflet on how to take part in May's first all-postal ballot.

Residents in the block of flats where Mr Mahon lived were shocked when the letter outlining how he could vote in the local elections dropped on the doormat.

The council blamed a clerical error and insisted electoral security would ensure the ballot was fair.

But the bungle has fuelled fears that controls on registration are not tight enough to prevent fraud.

Mrs Lesley Peapall, who was a neighbour of Mr Mahon's, said: "It's a disgrace and shows the postal ballot is not as foolproof as the council claims.

"It would have been very upsetting if this had happened to someone who had just lost a husband or wife.

"The council knew he was dead because they paid for his funeral and I sent his housing benefit book back to them.

"If anyone else had got hold of his postal ballot form they would have been able to vote twice in the election.

"I have been ringing the number in the leaflet for the council's voting hotline for three days but nobody has got back to me."

Mr Mahon played for the Hammers in the Forties and scored six goals during his 18 appearances.

The former Merchant Navy seaman guested for the club when he was stationed near London's docklands in the Second World War.

Mr Mahon later moved to Sussex. His wife and children were killed in a car crash outside the White Horse in Rottingdean in the Sixties.

He spent his last years living in a flat in Sackville Road, Hove.

He became a well-known local character but friends at the nearby Stirling Arms, where he was a regular, were unable to trace any relatives when he died in April 2001, aged 78.

West Ham sent a club flag, which was draped over his coffin and friends provided flowers in the team's claret and blue colours in the shape of the club's logo.

They held a wake in the pub and his photograph takes pride of place in the bar.

Mrs Peapall looked after Mr Mahon before he died from pneumonia and heart failure.

She said: "He was a real character and although we could not find his relatives about 50 people went to his funeral.

"He was always talking about the days when he played for West Ham and he was also awarded a medal for his service on the Russian merchant ships during the Second World War.

"His wife was a dancer and was on her way back from taking their children to see a show in London when they were killed in the car crash one Christmas in the Sixties."

A council spokesman said: "We are sorry for any upset caused by sending the advice letter to the now deceased Mr Mahon."

He said that under new legislation the council left names on the electoral roll for a year if registration forms for that year were not returned.

They were removed if the registration forms were not returned again in the following year.

He added: "There will be a number of security measures in place to combat the possibility of fraud at the election.

"They range from scanning signatures on returned declarations to random checks with electors."

Peter Stewart, spokes- man for West Ham United, confirmed that Mr Mahon had played for the club in the Forties.

He said: "We had quite a few guest players from the Services in those days as they would play for clubs close to wherever they were stationed."