CANDIDATES are waiting nervously as the ballot papers stack up on the counting tables.

Joe Smith, a district councillor and first-time county candidate for Malvern Chase, said the vote was looking very tight at the moment.The Conservative candidate believes the expenses scandal made it difficult for the main parties, but that "because we do not have Labour here we're taking the brunt of it."

He added: "The campaign went well. I got out and door stepped as much as I wanted and got lots of literature out."

Tom Wells, Liberal Democrat candidate for Powick and county counillor there for the past 12 years believes his campaigning was also a great success.

He said: "I always go to every house personally in the run-up to the election. It runs to about 80 square miles. It usually means I lose about a stone in weight, and I had to take my suncream as well this year."

He described many of the division's s "too close to call".

"We have four divisions here that could go one way or the other."