Labour General Election candidate Antonia Bance was horrified when she realised printers had spelled the town name Abingdon incorrectly.

The Labour Party leaflets were mailed to more than 80,000 voters in the Oxford West and Abingdon constituency but a number of them were sent out under the heading Oxford West and Abington.

There is an Abington in the UK but the picturesque Scottish village is hundreds of miles away in south Lanarkshire.

Ms Bance, 25, said she had received a large number of calls from voters in Abingdon who were "not terribly happy" that Labour had mispelt the name of their town.

And she hoped that the error, made by her South London printing firm, would not mean voters deserted her at the polls on May 5. She said: "This was a simple mistake at the printers and these things can happen in an election campaign.

"I am disappointed that it has happened and I have asked for a partial refund from the printing firm.

"Although I have received many phone calls from people in Abingdon who are not happy about this, I am getting lots of support in the town and people are asking for posters so they can put them up in their windows.

"I am also meeting staff from the Foyer project, which helps young people who are experiencing problems in their life."

Amanda McLean, the Conservative candidate for the constituency who is also hoping to dislodge previous MP, Liberal Democrat Dr Evan Harris, said she sympathised with Ms Bance, adding: "We have all been there and I always pray that proof readers haven't missed anything."

But Mrs McLean said she was more committed than Ms Bance to local campaigns such as saving Abingdon's open-air pool, which is threatened with closure.

Mrs McLean added: "I've got family in Abingdon and I do my local weekly shop at Tesco there.

"I have been involved in campaigns for local people there for the past year and I don't feel Antonia has to the same extent."

Dr Harris said he had noticed the mistake and had thought: "There but for the Grace of God go I."

But he added: "I have never seen so little Labour activity on this patch and I think all Labour's efforts are going into saving Oxford East. If they were taking this seat seriously then they would probably have checked their own leaflets more thoroughly before sending them out."

The other candidates are Tom Lines (Green) and Ben Gerrard (English Democrats).