Election 2015: Sunderland first to declare results in time in just 50 minutes

Houghton and Sunderland South has become the first constituency to announce their results at the 2015 general election, after declaring Labour's candidate Bridget Phillipson just 50 minutes after polls closed.

This marks the sixth time in a row the Wearside city has been first to declare the a result, a feat that stretches back to the 1992 election.

This year, 100 local sixth formers ran in the ballot boxes from 121 stations once they have arrived outside the Sunderland Tennis Centre. Lighter paper was also used to make counting more efficient, with counters put into teams of three and paired off with people they know and whose skills they are used to.