VOTERS in one Newton Abbot Constituency ward went to church today to cast their votes in the General Election.

The Keyberry Methodist Church, Newton Abbot, was transformed into a polling station for the day – one of 53 in the district.

It was 7am when the polling stations opened and voting was brisk at Larksmead Way, Ogwell, where, in the first half-an-hour, nearly 30 residents had put their votes in the ballot box in a makeshift portable cabin.

Briefly the lights went out, but a quick do-it-yourself with the generator soon had them back on.

With the revamped political boundaries – Newton Abbot has taken most of the former Teignbridge Constituency though swathes of it at Bovey Tracey, Chudleigh, the Teign Valley and Moretonhampstead have vanished into the new Central Devon – the outcome, particularly in Newton Abbot, was difficult to predict.

The presiding officers and poll clerks face a long day, with the polling booths open for 15 hours until 10pm, when the ballot boxes are taken to the counts at the Newton Abbot Leisure Centre and Okehampton College respectively.

In the 2005 General Election, Liberal Democrat Richard Younger-Ross had a 6,215 majority over the Conservative Stanley Johnson, in Teignbridge, doubling his lead from 2001.

l To see the results for your constituency as well as detail and commentary from the night's count, check this website. The count in Newton Abbot is not expected until between 3am and 4am tomorrow. At Okehampton, a result is expected between 4am and 5am.