DISMAYED UKIP and Green Party activists in Worcestershire are calling for changes to the voting system - labelling it "a disgrace".

In last week's General Election UKIP ended up with just one MP despite getting 3.8 million votes, while the Greens also had just one success after backing from 1.1 million people.

The situation has re-opened the debate about the current first-past-the-post system, which has remained in place ever since a 2011 referendum to change it was blocked by 67 per cent of voters.

Louis Stephen, chairman of Worcester Green Party, said: "I'd call it a disgrace.

"In Worcester (where turnout for the General Election was 68 per cent) nearly a third of the population couldn't be bothered to vote - moving to a proportional voting system would make a difference to that because people's votes would count.

"It's not just about 'this will help the Green Party' it comes down to fairness and democracy, nationally 24 per cent of the electorate voted for the Conservative Government.

"It's not good for democracy and people feeling they are citizens, when you have such a poor link.

"In the current system you've also got all the parties grappling for the centre ground, changing the system would make a better parliament."

In 2010 the Greens got 265,000 votes and one MP, Malvern-born Caroline Lucas - and despite retaining the seat it made no breakthroughs elsewhere despite gaining 900,000 more votes.

The Green Party wants to launch a 'People's Constitutional Convention' to engage the public deeply in issues like voting reform, lowering the voting age and the future of the House of Lords.

UKIP also want the issue re-visited, with its Worcester parliamentary candidate James Goad calling first-past-the-post "particularly cruel".

Richard Chamings, who contested West Worcestershire for the party, said: "We took nearly four million votes, 13 per cent of the voting population and got one seat, yet the SNP got five per cent of the votes and 56 MPs.

"It's got to be looked at again, I know we had the referendum vote before but we've got one voice in Westminster after all that - we feel a bit disenfranchised.

"There doesn't seem to be a point."

Under proportional representation UKIP would have secured 82 seats and the Greens 24.

But there is little chance of the system changing after David Cameron successfully campaigned to retain first-past-the-post in the referendum on adopting the Alternative Vote model.

Only last week Francis Maude, the new Trade Minister, said he had "little time" for smaller parties calling for change in light of the 2011 public verdict.

He said: "Is there any perfect fairness? No. But I think when parties moan about system when they fail to win seats, my sympathy limited."