Peter Harris
Look North

This is tense....Stockton South looks to be as close as we expected.

So far Tory James Wharton is slightly ahead but plenty of votes to count. He won by 332 from Labour in 2010.

Neighbouring Stockton North at this stage heading Labour's way on votes counted so far.

The Liberal Democrats saw their share of the votes in Jarrow plummet from 18.5% in 2010 to 3.2% tonight, meaning they finished fifth.

Meanwhile Labour's Stephen Hepburn saw his majority rise by 973 votes to 13,881, a 55.7% share.

UKIP's Steven Harrison finished second with 7,583 votes, 19.7% share.

Grahame Morris has kept the Easington seat for Labour.

With a long wait for results to be declared, many in Cumbria turned to their hobbies to pass the time.

One lady at Workington Leisure Centre knitted away the hours waiting for the Workington result.

Meanwhile a cartoonist is capturing the characters at the Westmorland and Lonsdale count.

Labour's Kevan Jones has been re-elected MP for Durham North.

UKIP's Norman Dennis finished second to Labour's Emma Lewell-Buck in South Shields with 7,975 votes to her 18,589.

Ms Lewell-Buck saw her share of the vote drop 0.8% from 2010 to 51.3%.

Liberal Democrat Gita Gordon finished last with just 639 votes, 4,550 fewer than in 2010.

Stephen Hepburn, MP since 2001, has retained the Jarrow seat for Labour.

Labour's Jenny Chapman saw her majority in Darlington cut by 230 votes to 3,158 over Conservative Peter Cuthbertson.

UKIP's Dave Hodgson finished third with his vote share up from 2.8% in 2010 to 13.1% this time around.

Liberal Democrat Anne-Marie Curry saw her share drop from 23.4% in 2010 to 4.8%, from 10,046 votes to 1,966.

Labour's Emma Lewell-Buck has retained the South Shields seat.

Duncan Leatherdale
BBC News Online

In 2010 Labour took nine of the 14 seats in the area covered by BBC Tees.

The Conservatives took three while Liberal Democrat Ian Swales broke 36 years of Labour rule in Redcar when he won the seat with a majority of 5,214.

Labour's Jenny Chapman has been re-elected as MP for Darlington.

Peter Harris
Look North

tweets, external: Votes building in gfx form in stockton south show tories ahead so far...labour candidate is now here #election

Lee Johnson
BBC Tees

tweets, external: Just to clarify #Hartlepool recount rumours: count still taking place so no recount. Can't rule out one later. Turnout is 57%, up 2% on 2010

Sharon Barbour
BBC Look North

Labour's Chi Onwurah is very happy after seeing her majority in Newcastle upon Tyne Central increase by 9.1%.

Richard Moss
Political editor, North East & Cumbria

tweets, external: Reports of recount in Hartlepool. UKIP challenging Labour. #GE2015

Nisha Joshi
BBC Look North

tweets, external: In 2010 UKIP polled behind the BNP in Newcastle Central and Newcastle North. This time they finished third.

Duncan Leatherdale
BBC News Online

Another North East rise in their majority for Labour with Catherine McKinnell's 20,689 votes in Newcastle upon Tyne North representing a 46.1% share, up 5.2% on 2010.

She has a 10,513 majority over the Conservatives' Stephen Bates who in turn finished 3,089 votes ahead of third placed Timothy Marron from UKIP.

Another dismal result for the Liberal Democrats who saw their share drop from 33.1% in 2010 to just 9.7% this time around.

Catherine McKinnell keeps Newcastle upon Tyne North for Labour.

Chantalle Edmunds
BBC Tees

tweets, external: Darlington getting ready to declare #GE2015

Mark Denten
Political Correspondent, BBC North East & Cumbria

tweets, external: Lib Dems pushed into fourth in Newcastle Central-another bad blow for them #GE2015