Jackie Doyle-Price retains her seat.

Robert Halfon has been re-elected as the MP for Harlow, with an increased majority.

The Conservative candidate beat Labour's Laura McAlpine by 14,063 votes, more than double the majority at the 2017 election.

Charlotte Cane of the Liberal Democrats came third.

• General election 2019: Latest national results
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Voter turnout was down by 2.6 percentage points since the last general election.

More than 43,000 people, 63.7% of those eligible to vote, went to polling stations across the area on Thursday, in the first December general election since 1923.

All three candidates keep their deposits, after receiving more than 5% of the votes.

This story was created using some automation.

Vicky Ford has been re-elected as the MP for Chelmsford, with an increased majority.

The Conservative candidate beat Liberal Democrat Marie Goldman by 17,621 votes, 4,049 more votes than the majority at the 2017 election.

Penny Richards of the Labour Party came third and the Monster Raving Loony Party's Mark Lawrence came fourth.

• General election 2019: Latest national results
• Election 2019: Election words and phrases explained

Voter turnout was up by 0.8 percentage points since the last general election.

More than 57,000 people, 71% of those eligible to vote, went to polling stations across the area on Thursday, in the first December general election since 1923.

One of the four candidates, Mark Lawrence (Monster Raving Loony Party) lost his £500 deposit after failing to win 5% of the vote.

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Vicky Ford retains her seat in Chelmsford comfortably, increasing her majority.

Robert Halfon almost doubles his majority to 14,063.

John Baron has been re-elected as the MP for Basildon & Billericay, with an increased majority.

The Conservative candidate beat Labour's Andrew Gordon by 20,412 votes, 7,012 more votes than the majority at the 2017 election.

Edward Sainsbury of the Liberal Democrats came third and the Green Party's Stewart Goshawk came fourth.

• General election 2019: Latest national results
• Election 2019: Election words and phrases explained

Voter turnout was down by 1.8 percentage points since the last general election.

More than 44,000 people, 63.1% of those eligible to vote, went to polling stations across the area on Thursday, in the first December general election since 1923.

Two of the five candidates, Stewart Goshawk (Green) and Simon Breedon (Social Democratic Party) lost their £500 deposits after failing to win 5% of the vote.

This story was created using some automation.

Mark Francois has been re-elected as the MP for Rayleigh & Wickford, with an increased majority.

The Conservative candidate beat Labour's David Flack by 31,000 votes, 7,550 more votes than his majority at the 2017 election.

Ron Tindall of the Liberal Democrats came third and the Green Party's Paul Thorogood came fourth.

• General election 2019: Latest national results
• Election 2019: Election words and phrases explained

Voter turnout was down by 0.9 percentage points since the last general election.

Nearly 55,000 people, 69.5% of those eligible to vote, went to polling stations across the area on Thursday, in the first December general election since 1923.

One of the four candidates, Paul Thorogood (Green) lost his £500 deposit after failing to win 5% of the vote.

This story was created using some automation.

John Baron retains the seat which he has held since 2010 with 29,590 votes.

Stephen Metcalfe has been re-elected as the MP for Basildon South & Thurrock East, with an increased majority.

The Conservative candidate beat Labour's Jack Ferguson by 19,922 votes, 8,432 more votes than the majority at the 2017 election.

Kerry Smith, an independent candidate, came third and Liberal Democrat Michael Bukola came fourth.

• General election 2019: Latest national results
• Election 2019: Election words and phrases explained

Voter turnout was down by 3.2 percentage points since the last general election.

More than 45,000 people, 60.8% of those eligible to vote, went to polling stations across the area on Thursday, in the first December general election since 1923.

One of the four candidates, Michael Bukola (Liberal Democrat) lost his £500 deposit after failing to win 5% of the vote.

This story was created using some automation.

Brexiteer Mark Francois, deputy leader of the eurosceptic ERG group, has been re-elected with 39,864 votes.

Stephen Metcalfe retains the seat he has held since 2010 with a majority of nearly 20,000.

He said: "I am delighted to have been reelected. I think representing a constituency which voted overwhelmingly to leave the European Union, with 73% did so, and this being really a Brexit election. I think it has been a reaffirmation of the referendum result back in 2016 and we were the only party which had a clear policy that if we got a working majority government we would pass a deal to leave the EU."

Here are some of the turnouts we know for Essex so far.

Chelmsford 71% (70.2% in 2017)

Colchester 64.4% (66.9% in 2017)

Epping Forest 68% (68% in 2017)

Harwich and North Essex 70.5% (71.1% in 2017)

Rochford and Southend East 61.25% (64.3% in 2017)

Southend West 67.8% (64.4% in 2017)

Image source, LDRS

Independent candidate Andy Morgan stood to "have the Brexit vote on the table" after the Brexit Party, for whom he was the prospective parliamentary candidate for Clacton, pulled out of the seat.

He legally changed his name by deed poll to Andy Brexit Party Morgan but says he was not allowed to feature it on the ballot as it was considered misleading.

He told BBC Essex's Liana Bridges that he would not be keeping the name after the vote.

Dame Eleanor is wearing a special Churchill rosette which was first given to a constituent back in 1965.

It has been loaned to her every election since she first won her seat in 1997.

Deputy Speaker Dame Eleanor Lain (Con), who is standing in Epping Forest, said this had been a "very nasty election".

She said: "That's something I haven't liked in this campaign, I don't like negative campaigning.

"We need to have more civilised conversation, it is bad for democracy and bad for country this attitude that if you have someone to hate you are doing well.

"Hate and abuse should have no place in our political system, there is no need for it. Actually, it is losing politics."

Analysis from BBC Essex reporter Charlotte Rose as counting gets under way in Southend.

Analysis from BBC Essex Political Reporter Simon Dedman at the count in Chelmsford.

Simon Dedman
BBC Essex political reporter

We had the shock exit poll giving the Conservatives a majority of 86.

It looked quite likely that the county's 18 seats would remain blue, frankly before the election, but now that looks a near certainty.

The Lib Dems thought they might be able to take Chelmsford and get rid of the Conservatives 13,500 majority.

Talking to the council leader for Chelmsford, after they swept Tories aside to take council in summer, when looking at exit poll I asked him if this means you are probably not going to take Chelmsford and he said "probably not".

One Conservative I spoke to said: "We smashed it."