• Our team of journalists have been reporting live from every Kent count - and bringing you results as they happen
• SCROLL DOWN to re-live all the action from overnight
• Kent’s reputation as a true blue Tory heartland confirmed in night of high drama - read our round-up here.

11.35

The day of the long knives becomes even more brutal - as Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg joins the growing list of resignations

11.26

BREAKING: Nigel Farage quits as Ukip leader after losing the South Thanet seat

10.35

Craig Mackinlay wins for the Tories in South Thanet - a huge upset for Nigel Farage, who has promised to quit as leader if he loses

10.06

Roger Gale takes Thanet North for the Tories

09.25

Ed Miliband set to announce his resignation shortly

8.46am

BREAKING: Another Tory hold as Rehman Chishti is declared winner of Gillingham and Rainham.

Mr Chishti, who has served as the area's MP for the past five years, polled 22,590 votes - a majority of 10,530.

8.28am

BREAKING: Conservative Tracey Crouch wins the Chatham and Aylesford seat with 21,614 votes.

8.11am

BREAKING: It's official - Ukip's Mark Reckless has lost his seat in Rochester and Strood.

Conservative Kelly Tolhurst is the new MP with 23,142 votes - a majority of 7,133.

Mr Reckless says he has no regrets about defecting from the Conservatives to Ukip, despite his huge loss in votes.

Harsh words from the crowd at the Medway count.

8.07am

It's looking like there may be an announcement regarding Rochester and Strood soon. We'll have the result as soon as its declared.

Total number of votes cast in the constituency is 47,301 - a turnout of 65.19%

7.30am

BREAKING: Gordon Henderson retains the Sittingbourne and Sheppey seat for the Conservatives.

7.17am

Elsewhere, in Thanet...

7.13am

This is what's causing a delay in the Sittingbourne and Sheppey declaration...

6.52am

Meanwhile, in Thanet, the count continues. Results now not expected until 11am!

6.40am

BREAKING: Conservative newcomer Helen Whately has just been declared winner of Faversham and Mid Kent.

She took over from Hugh Robertson, who stood down as the area's MP earlier this year.

6.32am

BREAKING: Yet another Conservative win. Adam Holloway has retained his seat for the Gravesham constituency.

6.20am

Although the official result is yet to be declared, we're hearing reports that Ukip's Mark Reckless has lost his seat in Rochester and Strood.

Our reporters on the ground say the count is still ongoing, but there is a strong indication that Conservative Kelly Tolhurst has won.

If true, it will be a huge blow for the party. Mr Reckless defected to Ukip from the Conservatives last year, forcing a by-election.

Despite switching parties, he managed to retain the seat. But can he do it again?

6.02am

BREAKING: Dartford's Gareth Johnson holds the seat for the Conservatives.

More about his win here.

5.58am

BREAKING: Tory Helen Grant retains Maidstone and the Weald.

The seat was target for Lib Dems, but Mrs Grant claimed twice Jasper Gerard's vote.

5.57am

Astonishingly high turnout figures in some parts of Thanet, according to the council.

5.36am

BREAKING: Tory Tom Tugenhat is elected in Tonbridge and Malling.

Read more about his win here.

5.20am

BREAKING: Damian Green has held the Ashford constituency.

More about his win here.

5.11am

BREAKING: Conservative Damian Collins has retained his seat in Folkestone and Hythe.

More on his win here.

5.04am

More turnout stats are in. 66% voted in Rochester and Strood and 65% in Sittingbourne and Sheppey.

4.56am

BREAKING: Conservative Michael Fallon holds his seat in Sevenoaks.

More on his win here.

4.53am

BREAKING: Tory Charlie Elphicke has retained the Dover and Deal seat.

Video: Charlie Elphicke reacts to his win

4.46am

Political editor Paul Francis reveals what's causing the delay at the Thanet count.

4.38am

BREAKING: Conservative Julian Brazier has won the Canterbury and Whitstable seat with 22,918 votes.

Labour's Hugh Lanning in second place with 13,120, Ukip's Jim Gascoyne third with 7,289, Lib Dem James Flanagan fourth with 6,227, Green Stuart Jeffery fifth with 3,746 and Socialist Party's Robert Cox sixth with 165.

Mr Brazier has been MP for the constituency since 1987.

More on his win here.

4.30am

BREAKING: Conservative Greg Clark has just been declared MP for Tunbridge Wells.

More on his win here.

4.19am

Elsewhere, Ukip's Douglas Carswell has just won the Clacton seat. The exit polls predicted the party would take two seats - could Mark Reckless or Nigel Farage claim the other?

4.05am

It's now gone 4am and still no Kent results have been declared. Initial predictions said seven seats would have been announced by now.

Thanet now not likely to be declared until 9.30am! Few more hours kip for Nigel, then.

3.53am

Looks like bad news for the Lib Dems in Canterbury and Whitstable...

3.43am

Over at the Medway count, Rochester and Strood Conservative hopeful Kelly Tolhurst has arrived looking "happy and relaxed".

She is Ukip candidate Mark Reckless's biggest competitor.

3.21am

No sign of Nigel Farage at the South Thanet count yet. The Ukip leader is apparently napping in a nearby hotel before the real excitement begins. He's expected to arrive at 4am.

3.08am

We've just had news of voter turnouts in some of the constituencies. Does it surprise you?

3.07am

Bit of fun. Is this the county's fastest counter?!

2.51am

While we wait for things to get going, why not take a look back on the weeks and months leading up to tonight?

Here's political editor Paul Francis's wry look at a campaign that has featured a Pub Landlord, a celebrity cook, mice... and Chewbacca.

And here, we reflect on the campaign's most memorable moments - from the celebrity visits to the scandals, protests and gaffes.

2.36am

Ooh a celebrity (sort of) has arrived at the Medway count. Felipe Alviar-Baquero was a candidate on last year's The Apprentice.

2.33am

This doesn't bode well. Paul Clark was defeated by Conservative Rehman Chishti with an 8,680 majority at the 2010 election. Is he admitting defeat already?

2.28am

Looks like there's quite a few delays, with results expected to come in later than expected in most constituencies.

Dartford was expected to be declared at 4am but is now due closer to 6am, and Sittingbourne and Sheppey has been pushed back from 3am to 5am.

2.07am

Our reporters on the ground say the atmosphere is "positively subdued" at the Medway count compared to the Rochester and Strood by-election, when Ukip defector Mark Reckless claimed the party's second seat in Westminster.

Can he hold onto it? He secured a majority of more than 3,000 then, compared to 10,000 when he stood for the Tories at the 2010 general election.

2am

The first result in Kent was expected to be declared in Canterbury and Whitstable at 2am, but is now estimated to come in at 3.30am! It's going to be a long night. Time for a caffeine fix.

1.57am

There's reports of a 70% voter turnout in Gravesend, which compares to 65.1% nationally at the last general election in 2010.

Bookies predict this election will see the highest turnout since 1997.

1.48am

This fresh-faced chap is not only a first-time voter but one of the country's youngest election candidates. Who says the young are apathetic?

1.41am

Our team of photographers are busy snapping away at counts across the county. Here's a selection of their shots from the night so far.

1.30am

With the national spotlight focused on the outcome of South Thanet, it's easy to forget there's another seat to play for.

North Thanet's most-recent MP Sir Roger Gale has arrived at the count to await his fate.

1.21am

As for the national picture, exit polls have predicted the Tories will be the largest party, gaining nine seats.

The polls put the Tories on a predicted 316 seats, Labour on 239 and the Lib Dems facing a near wipe-out with 10 seats.

The SNP are predicted to gain 58 seats with Ukip and Greens both on two seats.

More on that here.

1.16am

Interesting news from South Thanet. It's been a three-horse race between Ukip, Labour and the Conservatives, but nerves are setting in.

Al Murray said it would be a "miracle" if he even came in second.

1.13am

Many of Kent's counts are well underway, but some of the ballots are still being verified. The returning officers must ensure the number of votes cast and the number of ballot slips tally up. We don't want lengthy re-counts later...

Video: Ballots being verified in Folkestone

1.09am

Oh dear! Looks like this gentleman at the Canterbury and Whitstable count has peaked already.

With the first results in Kent not expected for another hour, there's a lot of waiting around.

How are the candidates staying awake? Ukip leader and South Thanet candidate Nigel Farage said earlier that he planned to power through the day and night without a nap.

One aide reportedly quipped: "Ukip if you want to".

1.02am

Our political editor Paul Francis is working the room at the South Thanet count. Results are expected to come in at 6am, but he describes this estimate as "optimistic".

12.56am

Elsewhere, at the Maidstone count, the Monster Raving Loony Party are handing out bananas and £1 million bank notes! Very generous of them.

12.54am

Direct from a stand-up gig in Dartford, comedian and FUKP candidate Al Murray has arrived at the South Thanet count. He's been welcomed by a throng of photographers.

12.50am

12.40am

We have a team of photographers and reporters covering all the counts - using Twitter, Facebook and this website to give you all the election news you need to know.

12.34am

Hello and welcome to our live coverage of the general election 2015. We will be bringing you all the action from every count in Kent and the results as they come in.

Don't forget to refresh this page for all the latest throughout the night, and get involved on Twitter using #KentDecides.

Strong coffee at the ready. Here we go...