Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council has confirmed a data breach affecting 3,000 residents after an administrative error during the annual electoral canvass.
On 27 July, an email was sent to electors who had registered their email with the council's elections team, asking them to confirm or update their household details.
Due to the error, a link in the email exposed recipients' forenames, surnames, email addresses and household-specific unique codes.
The council says the code alone cannot be used to access electoral registration information without additional details.
Officers acted quickly to disable the affected link, contact those impacted, and report the incident to the Information Commissioner's Office.
Chief Executive Tom Shardlow apologised for the ‘unfortunate human error’ and confirmed a review is underway to prevent future incidents.
Residents with concerns can contact the council's Data Protection Officer and are urged to stay alert for suspicious emails referencing electoral registration.
