A fraudster who tried to vote twice in the EU referendum was discovered by polling staff who recognised him second time around.

The unnamed man turned up at a polling station in East Ayrshire for the vote in June last year, but staff there spotted he had already voted because he was "very tall and wore distinctive clothing".

He was handed a 300-hour community payback order and a five-year ban from standing for office after pleading guilty in court.

The case came to light after electoral fraud information was released in a police report, with a total of 260 cases of alleged fraud recorded in the UK in 2016.

The Electoral Commission said six people had been cautioned, five cases were with prosecutors and 40 other allegations remained under police investigation.

The report highlighted the conviction of Richard Smalley, a Tory candidate elected to Derby City Council in the May 2016 local elections in England after submitting a false address.

He pleaded guilty in August 2016 and was sentenced to two months in prison and banned from standing for office for five years.

The number of cases of alleged "personation" - purporting to be someone else to vote - was up from 21 in 2014 and 26 in 2015 to 44 in 2016.

The commission has recommended that "a proof of identity scheme should be developed and implemented for polling station voters in Great Britain.

"This would address the current absence of effective checks against personation and improve public confidence," the report said.

Ailsa Irvine, director of electoral administration and guidance at the commission, said: "It is important that voters are confident that the police and prosecuting authorities take allegations of electoral fraud seriously.

"The findings from our report show that significant sentences will be imposed when electoral law is broken, and that those responsible for electoral fraud can face jail.

"Voters should be confident that they can report any concerns about electoral fraud. Anyone who has evidence that an electoral offence has been committed should contact the police immediately or report it anonymously through the Crimestoppers website or 0800 555 111."