The Conservatives cleaned up in north Essex last night with victories in all five constituencies.

The signs had looked bad for Labour as soon as the exit poll was announced at 10pm last night - and that proved to be accurate.

In Braintree, James Cleverly was re-elected with a majority of 24,673, retaining the seat for the Conservatives. He increased his majority by 4.7% compared to 2017.

Priti Patel held Witham with 32,876 votes, while Labour's Martin Edobor achieved 8,794 votes.

Meanwhile, Vicky Ford was re-elected Chelmsford MP with 31,934 votes, her majority increasing by 2.2% compared to the 2017 result.

We had reporters at these counts in north Essex. You can relive the drama of the night from our live blog here, or pick the constituency you are most interested in below:

- Clacton: Giles Watling re-elected in coastal seat

- Harwich and North Essex: 70.5% of the electorate turn out to vote

- Colchester: Tories increase their majority again