Gearing up for the count as polls closed

The polls in the 2017 General Election are now officially closed.

The count for the Orkney and Shetland constituency is expected to get underway in the next few minutes as ballot boxes from around the county start to arrive.

The ballot box from Shetland is expected at Kirkwall Airport at around 2.30am, arriving on a chartered flight from Sumburgh.

A result is expected sometime between 4am and 5am although, as count staff have pointed out, “this is not a race to be first to declare”.

Stay posted as we keep our website and Facebook page up-to-date with all the news as events unfold over the next few hours.

Good luck to all candidates!