SIAN HARRISON REPORTING LIVE:

7.18am

Conservative Iain Duncan Smith has been re-elected as MP.

He got 22,743 votes.

His closest rival was Labour's Cath Arakelian who got 9,780 votes.

More to follow.

7.06am

We are still awaiting a result here in Chingford and Woodford Green, but fellow Conservatives have gathered to congratulate Iain Duncan Smith.

6.58am

Well, it's been a longer night than anyone predicted.

Candidates are becoming impatient, with some pacing the floor and others falling asleep.

The delay has been put down to the increased voter turnout but, at two hours over schedule, it seems disproportionate to the rise of three per cent.

On a more positive note, it looks like the counting of votes for Chingford and Woodford Green has finished, so we should know the result shortly.

5.45am

Candidates in Chingford and Woodford Green are examining spoiled ballot papers, so it looks like a result might be due soon.

All of the candidates are gathered in a huddle in the corner of the Assembly Hall.

Wish I was a bit nearer to the action - from up here it is difficult to tell what is really going on!

5.26am

As dawn breaks in Walthamstow, the ballot papers are stacking up in Iain Duncan Smith's favour.

It is now daylight and we are edging ever closer to getting a result for Chingford and Woodford Green.

Early signs point to a decisive win for the incumbent MP.

4.51am

Turnout in Chingford and Woodford Green is up by four per cent on 2005.

Figures have just been announced and 4,654 more votes were cast than in the last General Election.

The overall turnout was 67 per cent, with the percentage breakdown for the individual wards as follows: Valley - 62 Larkswood - 62 Chingford Green - 68 Hatch Lane - 63 Endlebury - 67 Hale End and Highams Park - 67

Hopefully the result won't be too much longer.

4.45am

Candidates have arrived back on the floor and are eagerly watching votes being counted.

I'm hoping this is a good sign.

4.35am

Counting seems painfully slow.

I'd have thought there must be an easier way to do this by now.

4.31am

Former Waltham Forest Council leader Clyde Loakes, who declared himself a "paper candidate" in the race for Northamptonshire South, polled 9,913 votes.

This is 16.1 per cent less than Labour managed last time around, but he did manage to retain second place.

4.25am

Woohoo! Returning officer Andrew Kilburn has just announced that the counting of votes in the Chingford and Woodford Green constituency is starting.

Voter turnout to follow shortly...

4.11am

Just heard an announcement on voter turnout is due anytime now.

Many of the vote counters have stopped sorting and there is a sense of anticipation in the air as we wait for the final few bundles of votes to be sorted.

The long wait has taken its toll on candidates, counters and journalists alike, with an increasing sense of pessimism about getting any results before we see daylight.

3.20am

Latest news on the count is we're not expecting a final result until about 6am.

The late result is said to be down to the turnout across the three constituencies being much higher than expected.

One ward, which had a voter turnout of about 26 per cent last General Election, is expected to be in the high 60s.

However, there have been whispers that there aren't as many people counting votes as there were in 2005.

2.51am

Have just heard the pretty awful news that the figure for the voter turnout was expected to be announced over half an hour ago - this is not good.

This means there is still no sign of them starting to count the votes.

I don't really understand how it can take so long in some constituencies, yet Houghton and Sunderland managed to do it in under an hour.

Speaking as someone who has been to Sunderland numerous times, if it can be done there, it should be easy enough for everyone else to keep up.

Come on people, count faster!

2.32am

I spoke to a very upbeat Cath Arakelian earlier, who told me she's expecting an "honourable defeat".

The Labour candidate said: "I have had a fantastic campaign and done some hard work.

"I've brought a lot of young people into the local party - that is my greatest pleasure, seeing young people involved.

"The expected turnout figures are really good and show there's nothing in what people have said about apathy."

2.20am

The business of counting seems to be taking forever.

I've just heard the small army of counters before me haven't even started actually counting the votes yet.

Apparently, they're still emptying ballot boxes and sorting out the bundles of votes, which does not bode well for me - tiredness is setting in.

I did get an answer to my previous question about the people with clipboards though.

They are political agents, who check the amount of votes tallies with the number of voting slips they see being unloaded form the boxes.

Compared with that arduous task, my job here seems a doddle.

2.12am

Voter turnout in Chingford and Woodford Green is expected to be over 60 per cent.

The national picture also seems to show there has been a good show from voters, which is interesting considering that speculation the MPs expenses row would have an impact on the turnout.

In reality, it seems to have had little effect.

2.03am

Have just spoken to a very tired Iain Duncan Smith, who said he has been working hard in Conservative marginal constituencies as well as campaigning in his own back yard.

He said most of the swings to the Conservatives have been around the eight per cent margin, which will give them a majority if the trend continues.

When I asked him how the mood has been around the country, he said: "Very positive. People seem ready for a change."

1.19am

The steady chattering that has filled the Assembly Hall up until now has dropped to a faint hum and, as I look over the balcony, I realise many of the candidates have moved out.

I'm starting to get a bit tired now and wonder how on earth I will make it through to 5am and then be alert enough to cover the council election count tomorrow.

Still, this only happens once every five years!

Am off for a wander to see where all the candidates have gone to. More later...

1.12am

Have bumped into Liberal Democrat candidate Geoff Seeff, who is hopeful last-minute voters will have backed him due to the party's increased popularity.

He said: "Business was brisk during the day which, in a way, should favour us, because the undecided people were coming towards the Lib Dems.

"I would have thought the turnout was very high and there were a lot of young people voting for the first time, which was very good to see."

We await the results to see if the Liberal Democrats have managed to make any inroads into Duncan Smith's huge majority.

1.05am

Just seen Iain Duncan Smith having a cosy chat with Walthamstow's Labour candidate Stella Creasy, who is dressed head-to-toe in red.

1.02am

Iain Duncan Smith looks very pleased indeed. If the Tories can get an overall majority, he could be handed a pivotal role in Tory attempts to mend "broken Britain".

12.40pm

Slightly out of breath after running up the two flights of stairs from the basement to the balcony, where we've been "conveniently" positioned.

Up here, we do have a very good view of the count, although I am completely mystified by much of what I am seeing, to be honest.

The boxes are still arriving and people are frantically counting slips of paper - that bit I understand.

But there are also people wandering around with clipboards, who are standing over the counters and taking notes.

Think my next job will be to satisfy my curiosity, after another trip down to the bar to speak to candidates (and grab another coffee!)

12.30pm

Candidates are gathering in the basement bar to watch television coverage of the election results.

There's a lively atmosphere, with candidates and their supporters sitting in groups according to their political allegiances - all seems friendly enough though.

The added bonus of being in the bar is the coffee, although there doesn't seem to be enough of it for my liking.

More from the candidates a little later...

12.20am

Polling ran smoothly across the three constituencies, according to council officials.

Elsewhere, voters have complained about being unable to cast their vote.

The Electoral Commission has said there will be a full investigation into what went wrong.

FRIDAY, MAY 7 12.01am

Being kept away from the cut and thrust of the count for 'legal reasons'.

Reports from across the UK indicate failings at some polling stations, including ballot papers running out and queues of people unable to vote.

We're still waiting for an answer on how things went locally. Will let you all know as soon as we do.

11.00pm

The Assembly Hall is starting to fill up, with a number of candidates standing in the local council elections watching the count progess.

Rows of ballot boxes now line the left side of the hall and it looks like we're in for a long night.

The result is expected between 4am and 5am.

10.20pm

The count is underway, with ballot boxes being piled high in Walthamstow's Assembly Hall.

Candidates have started to arrive, with Independent None of the Above standing by the vote counters.

10.00pm

The first indication of how the results are going to pan out has been revealed with the publication of the nationwide BBC/ITV/Sky News exit poll.

It is predicting a 5.5 per cent swing from Labour to the Conservatives overall which, if repeated in Chingford and Woodford Green, would see the Conservative’s Iain Duncan Smith returned with a majority up from the 10,641 he achieved in 2005 to 12,545, assuming the same turnout.

In 2005 the exit polls correctly predicted a reduced Labour majority, but in 1992 they wrongly predicted a hung Parliament when in fact John Major’s Conservatives were returned with an overall majority of 21.