SUPPORTERS of the Newbridge Memo are today anxiously waiting for BBC bosses to reveal the result of the Restoration programme final poll which they narrowly lost.

This morning, five days after the event, Memo campaigners were still clueless as to the number of votes they polled in their bid to secure the £3 million prize.

But the BBC last night promised the results of the Memo phone vote would arrive with its supporters by registered post sometime today. Yet it has emerged that unless the programme winner, the Old Grammar School in Birmingham, chooses to announce the number of votes it received, the Memo will remain in the dark as to how close it came to clinching the top prize.

A BBC spokeswoman confirmed: "It will be up to each individual building's supporters as to whether they reveal the results of their poll."

Howard Stone, chairman of the Friends of the Memo, said he would be interested to see the final poll numbers, particularly after the many reports of Memo supporters unable to get through and register their vote.

But he said: "Why do they need to send the results by registered post, why couldn't they just give them out openly? It's baffling."

Despite repeated requests from the Friends of the Memo and the Argus, the BBC say they could not release the figures earlier for "logistical reasons". They deny any problem with telephone lines.

Islwyn AM Irene James told the Argus she has been so concerned about the secrecy she called the BBC herself.

She said: "I called and was told as far as they were concerned there was an outright winner and that's what mattered.

"I find it difficult to understand why they couldn't tell us the result earlier - if they were able to reveal the winner then they obviously knew."

Yesterday the Argus revealed programme makers had also refused to confirm whether a rule allowing them to discount votes was used in Sunday's Restoration final.

But Tom Vine of the independent Electoral Reform Society that oversaw the phone poll said he could assure Memo supporters the final vote was accurate.

He said: "I'm confident the vote was correct and proper." The BBC's National Governor for Wales, Professor Mervyn Jones, declined to comment on the situation deeming it an "editorial" matter.