GREEN Party candidate for Newton Abbot, Steven Smyth-Bonfield, has chosen not to predict his share of the vote in tonight's count but pleased to think that nationally his party could increase its number of seats from one to as many as three.

Speaking at 12.20am he said: 'The truth is we've had very few events so far, just three very expected results.

'The exit polls for the Green Party are looking very encouraging, predicting two, possibly three seats which would be excellent.

'Doubling your number of MPs is not a bad thing, any other party would be pleased to do that.

'Our party has grown four times in the past year.'

Asked to comment on his own chances the Teignmouth resident said: 'We shall see, nothing more than that, we'll have to wait.'

The Newton Abbot turnout had not yet been calculated by 12.30am but with reports of busy polling stations and extra ballot boxes having to be dispatched some observers were predicting it could better the figure of 69 per cent in 2010.