Updates for Friday, 5 May 2017
Corrie Mckeague search area being expanded
Just a few county council election results to be declared
'Billy Elliot' dreams for ballet boy
Cost of Corrie investigation revealed
Ed Sheeran tells Kirsty Young about his song-writing
County well represented in Sunday Times Rich List
Richard Haugh
BBC News
Labour's Freda Casagrande says it looks like she will finish runner up to the Conservatives in the Aldeburgh and Leiston division, which is due to be announced shortly.
"We've given them a run for their money," she said. "It's a shame that our area is split with Thorpeness and Aldringham, which are staunch Conservative.
"Leiston is a working class town and needs a Labour government."
Richard Haugh
BBC News
Speaking to me here at Martlesham police hq, Richard Smith, current cabinet member for finance and Conservative candidate for Blything, said he hoped Suffolk would "follow the trend" of the favourable overnight results for his party.
"I don't think one should ever be over confident but things are looking reasonably good," he said.
While campaigning, the "usual problems" of bad parking and speeding came up regularly - but Sizewell C is perhaps the most pressing issue for the area.
He said: "I'm not convinced the Sizewell C development should go ahead.
"I'm happy with nuclear power but EDF are playing hardball.
"We need a lot of community guarantees and we're not getting them at the moment."
The Green candidate for Woodbridge Eamonn O'Nolan had also spoken of Sizewell C, saying it would be a key talking point ahead of the general election and that the development could cause "catastrophic devastation" for the area.
Richard Haugh
BBC News
The turnout for voters in the Suffolk Coastal district has just been announced, and the general view seems to be it's better than was expected.
But don't get too excited! Of the 97,817 people eligible to vote, 38,145 did so.
That's a turnout of 39%
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Vikki Irwin
BBC Radio Suffolk political reporter
Here in Bury St Edmunds, the Haverhill UKIP candidate Julian Flood says they are suffering from a nationwide turn to the Conservatives over Brexit.
Richard Haugh
BBC News
The count is now about to start here at police headquarters, with Aldeburgh and Leiston the first up:
Richard Haugh
BBC News
Caroline Page, one of the eight Liberal Democrat county councillors going into this election, has told me she's represented Woodbridge for the past nine years.
"I'm moderately confident," she said. "I never like to count chickens."
She said Brexit was the focus of a lot of the conversations she had with her constituents in the build-up to the vote, but this came second to roads and parking.
She added: "I would like to say loudly, I think the turnout was low and if all the people who made a fuss about the roads came out and voted they'd get something done about it.
"I am quite shocked - it's apathetic and spineless."
Ipswich Town captain Luke Chambers signs a new two-year contract at the Championship club.
Read More
Andrea Davidson
BBC Radio Suffolk
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Richard Haugh
BBC News
Woodbridge's Green candidate Eamonn O'Nolan says the most exciting thing for his party today is the fact it's the first time it's had a candidate running in every division.
"What we're interested in is what is the level of our vote, and this is the only way of calibrating ourselves," he said.
"But we're seeing some very encouraging early indications from the verification process."
Andrea Davidson
BBC Radio Suffolk
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Guy Campbell
BBC Radio Suffolk
The Bungay division has been declared here at Waterlane Leisure Centre in Lowestoft, with a win for the Conservatives, who also won here last time:
David Ritchie (C) - 1,534
Sue Collins (L) - 758
Pauline Midwinter (G) - 280
Dave O'Neill (LD) - 173
Andrew Bols (UKIP) - 144
Richard Haugh
BBC News
Here at Police HQ at Martlesham on the edge of Ipswich, the verification process is coming under close scrutiny by some of the candidates, including the Liberal Democrats' only serving county councillor in the Suffolk Coastal area - Caroline Page (wearing the pink gilet):
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Richard Haugh
BBC News
UKIP's candidate for Wilford, Garry Debenham, says it's been a "very disappointing" night for his party and he's not expecting its fortunes to change in Suffolk today.
"I think it's going to be a bit of a Conservative whitewash," he said. "But we've got to hang on in there. If Mrs May doesn't walk the walk like she's talking the talk then who are people going to go to - it's going to be UKIP."
Richard Haugh
BBC News
There are 116 polling stations in the Suffolk Coastal area, and from these about 140 boxes are being counted today.
One box contains postal votes. The count has yet to begin, but they're hoping that all will be finished by about 15:00.
Vikki Irwin
BBC Radio Suffolk political reporter
I'm at the Bury St Edmunds leisure centre, where candidates and agents are overseeing counting for the Suffolk County Council elections.
Perhaps I should have brought my torch?
Suffolk superstar Ed Sheeran has told Kirsty Young he writes four or five songs a day.
Speaking to the presenter of BBC Radio Four's Desert Island Discs, Ed said: "I think it's a form of therapy to be honest.
"I think any time I've ever got down, or ever felt low, the one thing that picks me up from that is writing a song about it.
"At least you've got a positive experience out of a bad experience, or something really happy, you can write a really happy song and that's an even better thing."
You can hear Ed's choice of music, as well as his luxury item and book, from 11:00 on Sunday.
Richard Haugh
BBC News
Here is the first of what may be several photos today of people counting voting slips.
However, don't be mistaken in thinking that the count of votes is under way here at police headquarters.
What they're actually doing now is verifying - which essentially means making sure the number of papers they have matches the number of votes cast at each polling station.
Once that is done, the count proper will begin.
Richard Haugh
BBC News
A warm welcome from the Suffolk Coastal vote, being held at the police headquarters in Martlesham.
Hopefully the riot shield won't be needed.
