Polls close in referendum vote
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POLLS have closed in the independence referendum and counting at the 32 centres across Scotland has begun.
The first results are not expected for several hours but already extremely high voter turnouts are being reported in some areas.
Ninety-seven per cent of Scotland's eligible population were registered to vote before today, and postal vote returns in the Highland Council area had already surpassed 90 per cent before polling stations opened at 7am - well up on returns seen in recent European and Scottish Government elections.
The first declarations are expected at around 2am, with Orkney, Comhairle nan Eilean Siar, North Lanarkshire and Inverclyde expected to be among the early results.
Neighbouring Moray is also expected to be among the first raft of council areas to declare.
The Highlands declaration is not expected until around 4am, with the big cities of Edinburgh, Glasgow and Aberdeen expected to announce their results last.
The final result is expected to be known sometime between 6.30am and 7.30am, although fog in the Hebrides and Argyll & Bute may slow the declaration of some council areas in the west if it forces the grounding of helicopters that would otherwise have ferried ballot boxes from remote locations to counting centres.
