BAD weather this morning may have an effect on voting in elections across Dorset .

Forecasters say conditions should improve as the day progresses which may encourage later voting with polling stations staying open until 10pm.

In total more than a quarter of a million Dorset residents are entitled to vote today, with just over 15 per cent (45,262) having already done so using a postal vote.

Turn-out for local elections varies widely: At the last full local council election in Dorset the Weymouth Westham ward saw one of the lowest turn-outs with 29.6% with Ferndown South only marginally higher at 29.8%.

At the other end of the scale West Dorset's Marshwood Vale saw more than 50 per cent of eligible voters exercising their democratic right, with many of the towns and larger villages seeing turn-outs in the high 30s to low 40s per cent.

All of Dorset Council's 82 seats are being contested with 264 candidates having put their names forward for the authority which was created five years ago by the amalgamation of the previous councils.

Fifteen councillors have decided not to stand for election again, several of them who have served for two or even three decades.

The Conservative have held a majority on Dorset Council throughout the five years, currently by a margin of four seats.

In the lower tier town and parish councils 1,508 candidates are hoping to be chosen by voters across Dorset today and although most of the larger towns are being contested many areas failed to attract enough candidates to cause an election, including Lyme Regis and Beaminster. In Dorchester two town council wards failed to attract enough candidates for the first time in living memory with seven councillors taking seats without a contest.

The other county-wide contest to take place today is for the Dorset Police and Crime Commissioner where there are four candidates to choose from.

Counting of Dorset's votes starts with the Dorset Council papers on Friday afternoon, the full results expected by early evening; with the town and parish election papers and the votes for the Police and Crime Commissioner being counted on Saturday.

This will be the first full election in Dorset where voters have to produce some form of official documentation to prove their identity to be allowed to vote. Among the items considered acceptable are a driving licence, passport, bus pass and some work or military service identity cards.