The county's 18 seats were all won by Conservatives in 2017.

Stephen Robinson, Chelmsford City Council leader and Liberal Democrat, blamed a focus on the two main party leaders for the potential Conservative victory.

He said: "It's not looking good. I think one of the really disappointing things is the focus on the two leaders, Corbyn and Johnson and whether they are fit to be prime minister.

"We don't live in a presidential democracy, we live in a parliamentary democracy with 650 individual elections. We tried to keep the focus on who would make the best MP for Chelmsford."

Some voters headed to the polls this morning to find their polling station had moved.

In Witham, the seat held by Home Secretary Priti Patel (Con) before the election, Templars School did not take its role as a polling station this year and some people contacted the BBC to say they had not been told.

Braintree District Council apologised for any inconvenience and said letters had been delivered to warn people of the change, including by hand to those who had not received them by election day, while signs were put up at the school at 06:30.

Doug Faulkner
BBC News Online

Never mind the politics, Southend is definitely winning when it comes to Christmas jumpers. Here's a few we've snapped so far.

Doug Faulkner
BBC News Online

It might be a night to decide the future of the country but that hasn't stopped candidates and campaigners from getting into the Christmas spirit.

Just-John Sexton is representing the Monster Raving Loony Party in Clacton, while Southend's Conservatives are sporting blue Santa hats.

The counting has begun across Essex, where there are 18 seats up for grabs, including in Colchester.

The first ballot boxes have arrived at the count venues including at Basildon where they were carried by supermarket trolley.

John Baron (Con), who has been the incumbent MP in Basildon and Billericay since its creation in 2010, will be hoping to sweep up the vote once more.

Nic Rigby
BBC News

One of the longest-serving parliamentarians in Essex who is standing as a candidate in this election is Sir David Amess (pictured).

The 67-year-old, knighted in 2014 for his political and public service, was first elected Conservative MP for Southend West seat in 1997 and has stood again at this election, and before that was MP for Basildon from 1983.

When he was knighted, Mr Amess said among his legislative successes in parliament was the Warm Homes and Energy Conservation Act 2000, which he introduced as a private members bill and which places a duty on government to develop a long-term strategy to reduce "fuel poverty".

Simon Dedman
BBC Essex political reporter

For years all eyes had been on Essex. How the home of “Mondeo man”, “Essex Man” and the bellwether - that was once Basildon - votes, was seen as the key to winning a majority and the keys to 10 Downing Street.

Image source, Geograph/Robin Lucas

But not in 2019. The focus on the Midlands and the North has born a new target voter: “Workington Man” and with frankly a lack of interest and a lack of high profile politicians coming to the county to campaign.

Granted the three main party leaders have been here – but other than Jeremy Corbyn (pictured below) only once.

The Conservatives are confident of keeping all 18 seats here and that their majorities will go up in most. Thurrock is the most marginal seat, the Tories won by just 243 votes in 2017.

While one veteran Labour campaigner told me it is still close there, the Tories say they have been getting their best response on the ground.

Chelmsford (pictured top) was the shock of the summer when the Lib Dems surged from holding five council seats to winning 31 and taking the county’s city from the Tories in the local elections.

They have been campaigning hard with one resident showing me they received eight pieces of literature through their door in a week.

But the Conservatives are defending a decent 13,572 majority here, even with the Greens standing aside to help the Lib Dems in the remain alliance it’s a tall ask. One Tory said if they lost here they would be in big trouble.

The BBC is reporting from all of the 18 election counts in Essex.

The county returned a solid block of 18 Conservatives at the last general election in 2017.

Check who's standing on the BBC's Find a constituency page.