Scots who registered for postal votes have been left waiting anxiously to see if they will receive their ballots ahead of the General Election, with the Tory party being accused of suppressing Scottish turnout.

Despite the deadline to register for postal votes being more than a week ago on June 19, they are yet to be delivered. Many people who have contacted the authorities to request an update on them have been told they should receive them on Friday, which coincides with the last day of the school year in Scotland for many students.

A lot of families are then booked up to go on holiday the following day and now face a race to be able to register their vote ahead of the July 4 election. It could leave the Scottish turnout down and Rishi Sunak has been criticised for the timing of the vote.

The Conservative Party leader announced the election earlier this year and many pointed out the fact that it was the start of the Scottish school holidays but complaints went unnoticed.

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Now with voters not receiving their postal ballot, the Alba party has accused the Tories of disregarding the Scottish people while Green Party MSP Gillian MacKay insisted they were ‘actively trying to stop people voting’.

Local authorities use a specialist company to print and check ballots before they are sent out via Royal Mail but Scottish parties insist the blame can’t be put on them and lies solely at the feet of the Conservatives, with Glasgow City Council leader Susan Aitken tweeting her views it was down to the UK government and their date selection.

She tweeted: "I absolutely sympathise with the frustration but it’s not down to Glasgow City Council who, along with many LAs, use a specialist printer who print & security check postal ballots & send to Royal Mail for delivery. UK govt chose the election timings."

Ms Mackay agreed with that and said: "When it comes to the timing of this election, and all of the needless barriers that they have out up around voter ID, it's as if the Tories are actively trying to stop people voting and depress turnout.

"There was no need for the election to be right at the start of the school holidays, that's a choice that Rishi Sunak made.

"This is a really important election for Scotland, and it's crucial that as many people as possible have the opportunity to take part and make their voices heard."

It was a view shared by Alba Party General Secretary Chris McEleny and he added: “No blame can lie at the feet of election offices or Royal Mail. Rishi Sunak called an election that completely disregarded the people of Scotland.

“Many then rushed to register for a postal vote to ensure they could cast their ballot before going on holiday. Now people across Scotland may be denied a vote. This is nothing short of voter suppression by an out of time Tory party that will be out of office next week.”

Former Scottish Lib Dems leader Willie Rennie was also unhappy with the situation and the MSP insisted it was unfair to expect people to stress over their vote at a time when they would be heading on holiday.

He said: "The last thing people want as they pack their swimming costumes and hunt for sun cream is to chase up their postal vote and stress about returning it.

"The government should be making it as easy possible for everyone to exercise their democratic rights. Instead Scots are being left to scrabble."

The SNP, Scottish Labour and the Scottish Conservatives have also been approached for comment.