COUNTING is now underway in the European Parliament Elections across the country.

Votes were verified last night and now the actual ballot papers are being opened and added up.

Separate counts are taking place in each borough across East Lancashire - Blackburn with Darwen, Hyndburn, Burnley, Ribble Valley, Rossendale, Pendle and Chorley.

The UK results will be announced at 10pm tonight once polls have closed elsewhere across Europe.

The results of each borough count will be available on the relevant council websites.

In the North-West eight Euro-MPs will be elected out of a UK total of 73.

Both the Conservatives and Labour are braced for a backlash from voters over Brexit when the results of Thursday's European poll are announced.

Opinion polls have suggested Nigel Farage's Brexit Party could be on course for victory in the UK Euro-election.

The Liberal Democrats, from the opposite side of the Brexit divide, are also expected to pick up votes.

An online poll across Newsquest North West’s six titles recorded that 62 per cent of readers who took part said they would vote for the Brexit Party.

Just four per cent said Conservative, 12 per cent said Labour, 10 per cent said Lib Dem, and 12 per cent said Other.

Thursday's Euro-elections took place almost three years after the UK voted to leave the European Union because of Prime Minister Theresa May's failure to get her Brexit deal through Parliament.