Voting underway in 2017 general election

Polling station - PA

Voting has begun across the country as the public choose their local MPs for the next five years.

Scotland's 4,710 polling places will be open from seven am to 10 pm as voters mark ballot papers for the sixth time in just four years.

The general election was called by Theresa May, who is looking for the Conservative party to improve significantly on its 331 seats won in 2015.

Labour took 232 constituencies at the last election, and has seen its share in the polls increase significantly over the course of the election campaign.

Just under 47m are registered to vote, according to the Electoral Commission, with Labour expected to benefit if a high proportion of young people come out to vote. Overall turnout in 2015 was 66.4 per cent.

In Scotland the turnout was higher in 2015 as the country elected 56 SNP MPs out of the country's 59 seats. The party hope to replicate the success today.

Counting then gets underway through the night, with some seats expected to declare before midnight before the bulk of announcements through the early hours of Friday morning. 

A Scottish Parliament by-election is also being held in the constituency of Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire.