The upcoming referendum on a North East assembly could be the last all-postal ballot in the country, following a devastating report by the elections watchdog today.

Local Government Minister Nick Raynsford indicated that similar polls were unlikely in the future, with voters instead being given the choice of postal votes as well as using traditional polling stations.

Mr Raynsford was speaking after the Electoral Commission urged ministers to abandon all-postal ballots after claims of bribery and fraud in June's elections.

It called for an immediate moratorium on further pilots, saying the problems had undermined public confidence.

The Electoral Commission has now dropped its support for all-postal voting in local polls and says it should no longer be pursued for use at any UK elections.

The commission said June's trials were marred by complexity, abuse claims and a tight timetable.

In a report published today on the pilots in the North East, North West, Yorkshire and the Humber and East Midlands, it said: "The commission acknowledges that, based on the evidence gathered in these pilots, and in particular the strength of public criticism of a single voting method, all-postal voting should no longer be pursued for use at UK elections."

However, the commission added it was now too late to drop all-postal voting for November's North East referendum and the Government should go ahead with it as planned.

Mr Raynsford said the poll "may well be" the last to employ all-postal voting.

He told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme: "I would certainly be entirely relaxed about a future which gave people the opportunity of voting by post, because clearly that has helped to increase turnout and participation, and that must be a good thing, but also to provide choice, with other options."