Rufia Ashraf is the Labour candidate in South Northamptonshire, one of the safest Conservative seats in the country before this election.

She said health was one of the key issues on the doorsteps: "They really want to see appointments become available because in the rural areas, you have an older demographic and travelling to access a GP is really difficult.

"In Brackley, they've got a cancer centre, and the scanner is out of action since they purchased it and I cannot understand why.

"If I am elected today, that's one of things I will pursue."

Adam Brown, the Conservative leader of West Northamptonshire Council, was "very disappointed" by the exit polls.

He said: "It's a very comprehensive defeat for the Conservatives after 14 years in power."

"When you've had as many leaders over five years as we have, that naturally undermines people's confidence in a governing party."

He hoped the Tories would salvage a 50-50 split in the West Northamptonshire area, with Daventry and South Northamptonshire staying Conservative and the two Northampton seats going to Labour.

The process of totting up the votes has got under way for the Daventry and South Northamptonshire constituencies, which were among the safest in the country for the Conservatives before this election.

Meanwhile, as the counters work below them at the Kings Park Tennis Centre in Northampton, two police officers watch over the proceedings at Kettering Leisure village, where votes are being counted for Corby & East Northamptonshire, Kettering, and Wellingborough & Rushden.

Adrian Watts' outfit leaves no-one in doubt about his political affiliations.

He is at the count at Kettering Leisure Village to support Emily Fedorowycz, the Green Party candidate for Kettering.

He said: “We can see there’s a clear labour lead, but the Green’s are putting up a good show, certainly better than we have ever done before.

"It’s a night to celebrate," he added, "and it’s a night that’s very interesting to see how people reacting to what’s going on in the country at the moment.”

Although some Conservative candidates seem to be avoiding the media, prominent Tory supporters are sharing their thoughts.

Jason Smithers, the leader of North Northamptonshire Council, said: “It’s been a very good campaign, we’ve got three very hard-working candidates here."

Speaking about the betting controversy before polling day, he said: "It wasn't just the Conservatives - the Labour Party had some issues in that respect as well.

"We've got to concentrate on the individuals trying to be elected tonight and I'm confident we'll have a good result here."

Scott Cameron, is hoping to take the Daventry seat for Reform UK, which he says has been a "safe seat" for the Conservatives.

He said he is feeling "reasonably positive" for his party and "this could go well for us".

The party is predicted to take 13 seats nationally in the BBC exit poll.

"I've been hearing a great deal of 'I don't want to vote Labour, and I'm fed up with the Conservative Party'; it gives you hope," he added.

Image source, Oliver Conopo/BBC

The first two ballot boxes were brought into the counting hall at the Kettering Leisure Village at about 22:30.

Three counts are talking place here - Kettering, Corby & East Northamptonshire, and Wellingborough & Rushden.

Declarations are not expected until 03:00.

Image source, Tim Daley/BBC

The Conservatives are defending two seats, with what would have once been considered a "safe" majority.

The definition, however, of what constitutes a safe Conservative majority may be about to change.

Labour will be looking to retain their seat in Wellingborough & Rushden - won for them by Gen Kitchen in the by-election in February.

During the election campaign the BBC has been asking you what really matters in your community.

Some of these issues were put to the candidates standing in the Corby and East Northamptonshire constituency in a live debate on BBC Radio Northampton.

They included the cost of living, the NHS and social care sectors and rebuilding trust in politicians.

The debate has been condensed into five key takeaways here.

A full list of candidates can be found here.

The Green Party candidate for Wellingborough & Rushden, Paul Mannion, is at the count in Kettering.

He said the campaign had been “quite an unusual one” and he felt that voters were “quite fatigued”.

"There is a lot of disillusion out there," he said.

He believed some lifelong Tories will have voted Green and the younger generation have particularly engaged with the party.

The returning officer for tonight’s three counts in the North Northamptonshire Council area, Adele Wylie, said: "It’s really exciting and we always talk at the council how we are so privileged to be part of something really important nationally.

"It’s all anyone is talking about, so to be part of that democracy and part of that history is just fantastic."

Laura Coffey
BBC political reporter, Northamptonshire

The BBC has been out across all our constituencies during the campaign speaking to voters and the issues that have been coming up across the county are similar - the cost of living, access to GPs and NHS dentists, and crime.

Trust in politicians was another issue that people felt strongly about, just not believing what the parties are saying.

Another factor I found was a number of people I spoke to who said they wanted to vote, but they just didn’t know who they were going to vote for.

There were an estimated five million undecided voters ahead of the general election. Most of those I spoke to said they’d be deciding on the day.

During the election campaign the BBC has been asking you what really matters in your community.

Some of these issues were put to candidates standing in the Northampton North constituency and they included town centre regeneration, crime, and trust in politicians.

The debate has been condensed into five key takeaways here.

A full list of candidates can be found here.

Probably the best dressed person at the three counts at Kettering Leisure Centre is taking a turn about the room - the High Sheriff of Northamptonshire, Amy Crawfurd.

She designed her outfit herself and the feather-covered hat is its showpiece.

It was handmade by a Northamptonshire milliner called India Rolt. She said creating her ensemble was "part of the fun" of the night.

Laura Coffey
BBC political reporter, Northamptonshire

Northamptonshire has seen both the Conservative and Labour leaders visit the county.

A few weeks ago Rishi Sunak was at Silverstone circuit for the Tories manifesto launch and then last week Sir Keir Starmer was in Kettering for a Q & A with students at Buccleuch Academy.

There are a number of seats across the county that Labour has been targeting – Northampton North, Northampton South, Corby & East Northamptonshire, Wellingborough & Rushden, and Kettering.

There will definitely be new MPs in three of the county's constituencies as three sitting MPs announced they would not seeking re-election: Chris Heaton-Harris for Daventry, Dame Andrea Leadsom for South Northamptonshire and Sir Michael Ellis for Northampton North.

03:00-04:00: Corby & East Northamptonshire, Kettering, Wellingborough & Rushden

06:00: Northampton North, Northampton South, South Northamptonshire, Daventry

The counting process is well under way in Kettering, where three constituencies' votes are being counted - Kettering, Corby & East Northants, and Wellingborough & Rushden.

The Conservative candidate Philip Hollobone in Kettering, who has held the seat since 2005, has arrived at the count but our reporter there says he appears to be avoiding the media.

His traditional Union Jack blazer is absent and he is wearing a relatively ordinary navy blue suit.

Eddie McDonald, the Reform UK candidate in Corby & East Northants, has said that he wanted "a lot more" than the 13 seats predicted by the national exit polls.

He added: "We'll take what we get - it's certainly more than what we've predicted throughout most of the campaign"

In 2019 at the last general election all of Northamptonshire’s seven constituencies were held by the Conservatives.

Earlier this year the former Wellingborough constituency had a by-election and Labour won the seat from theTories, following the resignation of sitting MP Peter Bone.

The county's seven constituencies are:

• Corby and East Northamptonshire
• Daventry
• Kettering
• Northampton North
• Northampton South
• South Northamptonshire
• Wellingborough and Rushden

Retiring Tory MP Andrea Leadsom, who represented South Northamptonshire, said on the BBC election programme that it was a "devastating night for the Conservatives" but showed "our democracy is alive and well".

She added: "We do need to wait for the proper results."

The returning officer for Northamptonshire, Adele Wylie, welcomed everyone to the Kettering Conference Centre, where the counts for three constituencies are taking place.

They are Kettering, Wellingborough & Rushden, and Corby & East Northamptonshire, with the room separated into three sections.

She said 203 boxes along with postal votes need to be verified and then counted.

And so it begins.

Image source, Tim Daley/BBC