VOTING in elections is a fairly straightforward business. You study the candidates' policies, choose the one which best fits your own views, then put your cross in the appropriate box on the ballot paper.

But the whole system breaks down if you don't know exactly what the candidates stand for.

And voters in the Arboretum area of Worcester could be forgiven for feeling a little confused about what prospective councillor Melanie Heider really represents.

Although she is standing for the Conservatives, it has been revealed that she has also, unknown to Tory chiefs, joined the UK Independence Party, whose main policy is withdrawal from the European Union.

This is not - yet - the official Tory line and puts her at odds with the party she publicly represents.

Of course, this has less relevance in a local election than it would in a national one.

If Melanie Heider is elected to the Guildhall, she will find herself preocuppied with such issues as bin collections, with little opportunity to secretly plan Britain's secession from Brussels.

But transparency and openness are crucial if democracy is to function effectively, and Melanie Heider has done the voters of Worcester a disservice by hiding the fact that she belongs to two different parties with very different platforms.

Whether the revelations will harm the Conservatives' chances in a seat they are desperate to win remains to be seen - Ms Heider's UKIP links may attract as many voters as they repel.

But Worcester's Tory chiefs may be wary of selecting her in future.