When will the North Shropshire by-election result be announced?

Thousands of people have cast their ballot papers across the constituency to decide who should replace Owen Paterson as their MP.

A total of 14 candidates stood to replace the former Conservative minister who resigned last month.

Mr Paterson was first elected to represent North Shropshire in 1997, and at the 2019 General Election walked away with a majority just shy of 23,000.

However, the lobbying scandal that led to his resignation, allegations of Downing Street parties during lockdown in the run-up to last Christmas, and Tory rebellion against the latest Covid restrictions, have led to some putting the party neck and neck with the Liberal Democrats, who finished a distant third two years ago.

It all adds up to a nail-biting contest just as parliament breaks up for the Christmas recess.

What time will the North Shropshire by-election result be announced?

With some suggesting the North Shropshire by-election is on a knife-edge, it's little wonder that people want to know when the result will be called.

Ballot papers will be counted at Sundorne Leisure Centre, Shrewsbury, meaning they need to be driven from North Shropshire to the county town after voting closes at 10pm.

The final result is expected to be between 3am and 4am, however this could change depending on turnout and any need for a recount.

Shropshire Council tweeted this evening to say: "We can’t say what time the declaration will be as yet - but we will keep you up to date through the night."

To give some guidance, in 2019 the result was announced just before 4.30am with a 67.9 per cent turnout (56.513 votes to count). Two years earlier the result was declared at 3.30am after 55,539 votes were counted.

Turnout could well be less in this contest meaning it won't take as long to count the votes; the Old Bexley and Sidcup by-election earlier this month had a turnout of 33.5 per cent, down from 69.8 per cent in the 2019 General Election. That result was announced between 1.30am and 2am.

But while there may be fewer votes to count, if the predictions of a close race between the Tories and Lib Dems prove to be accurate, then recounts could draw out the process and push it nearer to the 3.30am/4.30am we have seen in previous years.