Turnout up significantly in Shetland

There has been a 15 per cent increase in the election turnout in Shetland compared with the overall figure for Orkney and Shetland in 2010, according to figures anounced by deputy returning officer Jan Riise.

According to Mr Riise, Shetland had recorded a 65.8 per cent turnout compared with 57 per cent for both counties last time around.

As the count began on the Orkney ballot papers, the stacks of counted papers looked too close too call with a two horse race between Lib Dem Alistair Carmichael and his SNP opponent Danus Skene, with the rest of the candidates distant also rans.

Both campaign teams were claiming the slight advantage for their candidates as counting continued.

SNP campaigners are attributing the boosted turnout to the re-energising of politics following the independance referendum.