BBC reporter Luke Walton is in Sunderland. He says it is worth pointing out a lot of local issues have not gone well for Labour.

"There has been a row about the relocation of the council's headquarters and the children's services have been criticised by Ofsted," he says.

He also adds that campaigners have been picking up "a real anti-politics feel" on the doorstep.

"There is no chance of Labour losing control but so far they have lost three seats already," he says.

In Sunderland - which has declared as a Labour hold although results are still coming in - the change in the share of the vote shows Labour down 14%.

The party front bencher Barry Gardiner says: "I think what's clear is, from the graph we were just shown, that 10% of that has gone to UKIP and in the present circumstances, given the disquiet over Brexit, I don't think that's a remarkable thing."

Professor Sir John Curtice
Polling expert

"Turnout is so far, on average, down very slightly on 2016 and 2018, suggesting that overall at least, the level will prove to be similar to the norm for local elections."

The BBC's special election programme is now under way on the BBC News Channel and BBC1. Our political editor Laura Kuenssberg says it will be interesting to see how people who voted for UKIP in the last election voted today.

"Where will Conservative voters frustrated at the lack of Brexit progress go?" she asks.

"A terrible set of results for the Conservatives would crank up the pressure on Theresa May.

"Jeremy Corbyn's team want to be able to show off evidence that they can make progress in the parts of the country where general elections are lost and won."

Professor Sir John Curtice
Polling expert

"This result does not show the increase in UKIP support that was evident in Sunderland. In Swindon, the party's vote is down by five points - although at 15% is still quite substantial."

Professor Sir John Curtice
Polling expert

"The first key results in Sunderland, all of which were contested by UKIP, between them show a 6.5% increase in the UKIP vote - even though the party is defending the relatively high baseline that it enjoyed in 2015.

"If this pattern continues then we will get ample confirmation of the rise in support for Eurosceptic parties as indicated in the opinion polls.

"However, so far it is Labour not the Conservatives whose vote has fallen sharply, so far by no less than 17 points.

"Here at least may be an indication that in a very strong Leave Labour-voting area that Euroscepticism could well serve to erode Labour's support."

Conservative MP Bernard Jenkin, the MP for Harwich and North Essex, says he has been talking to his Tory colleagues who are "all a bit gloomy and not very optimistic".

He adds: "It's hardly surprising, I mean, we know the government has lost the plot on Brexit and the prime minister could have chosen to leave on the 29 March or 12 April and she declined to do that and I think a great many of our supporters are very disappointed.

"But I think it's kicking back on the Labour Party as well so the turnouts are low and they're going towards protest votes which is a shame."

Martyn Oates
BBC South West Political Editor

At the Lincoln Council count - where a third of seats are up for election - there are candidates as young as 19 hoping to become councillors.

Shadow chancellor John McDonnell tells Sky News Brexit has "clouded all other issues".

He adds he would rather people voted on the performance of their local council instead of national issues.

"Often you will have a hard-working local councillor knocked out because of what is happening in national politics," he says.