THE FIRST East Hampshire ballot boxes holding votes in the in or out EU referendum arrived in Petersfield Festival Hall just minutes after polling stations closed at 10pm.
The first boxes back at 10.12pm were from the polling station in St Peters Church Hall, in St Peters Road, Petersfield.
Meanwhile East Hampshire District Council chief executive Sandy Hopkins, who is the referendum returning officer for East Hampshire announced there had been a record postal vote in the district of 14,938 ballot papers returned by residents through the post.
In East Meon early indications suggest there has been an 80 per cent turnout of those eligible to vote; if this is the case, and similar across East Hampshire, the referendum turnout could prove to be the biggest ever.