The Leave campaign has won the day in Dorset - and Britain.

Turnout has been high across the county, well over 75%. North Dorset's turnout was highest, at just under 80%. West Dorset's vote was closest, at 33,000 to 31,000.

Across Dorset and the New Forest, 425,294 people have had their say.

In Poole, 35,741 voted to Remain, while 49,707 chose to Leave.

Bournemouth residents also chose a Brexit, with 50,453 against 41,473.

In Christchurch, Remain took 12,782 votes and Leave 18,268.

In East Dorset the Remain campaign took 24,786 votes and the Leave campaign 33,702 votes.

In Purbeck,  Remain took 11,754 votes and Leave had 16,966. 

South Dorset MP Richard Drax told the Echo: "I am just absolutely stunned. I didn’t think we could do it. The people have spoken democratically.”

He added: “This will be divisive – had those who campaigned for Leave lost we would have been as upset as I am sure the other side will be.

“We need to be extremely magnanimous, gentle and thoughtful in victory and work together with the other side for the good of the country.”

Speaking about the possibility of a Black Friday as the pound dropped to a thiry year low, Mr Drax said: “It is impossible to predict these things.

“Even top financeers can get it wrong – they once recommended that we should join the Euro.

“There was bound to be a blip because the expectation of all was that Remain would win.”

However, he said he was “confident” the pound would soon strengthen once again, adding: “I believe it will be absolutely fine.”

Christchurch MP and arch Eurosceptic Chris Chope said David Cameron only has himself to blame for the stunning Brexit vote.

He said the Prime Minister should have come back from Brussels with a much better deal in February.

And he said that Cameron and his advisers totally miscalculated over their ability to keep Boris Johnson and Michael Gove onside and in the Remain camp.

"When you put those two things together, I think these was an inevitability about the outcome."

Mr Chope said the position of Chancellor George Osborne was untenable and he should go.

He said Mr Osborne had issued warnings over the economic consequences of Brexit and had threatened a vindictive emergency budget. He was now a hate figure for many Tory MPs.

But he said the Prime Minister should stay on in the short term for the sake of stability.

"This was not just a vote against the establishment. It was something much more fundamental than that in terms of the public's view of the EU and the desire to take back sovereignty and be able to make all our own laws."

Mr Chope celebrated with local businessman and long time campaigner against the EU, Rollo Reid of Reidsteel.

Bournemouth West MP Conor Burns said he hoped David Cameron would stay on as prime minster.

He said Mr Cameron has the rest of the Conservative manifesto to deliver and added: “There will come a period of some uncertainty and I think to leave the EU and change prime minister would not lessen the uncertainty."

North Dorset had a huge turnout of 79.7 per cent, registering a total of 42,223 votes, with 23,808 - 56 per cent - voting Leave and 18,3999 - 44 per cent - Remain.

MP Simon Hoare, who had campaigned to Remain, said he "fully respected" the views of constituents.

"First of all, I would like to thank everybody who took part in the vote," he said.

“We have had a good campaign and it was a great opportunity to get out and talk to people and listen to what people have to say.

“Of course, I would have loved it if the constituents of North Dorset had voted to remain."

West Dorset residents also voted out by a narrow margin of 33,267 to 31,924.

In the New Forest, 111,786 people voted, with 64,541 opting to Leave and 47,199 choosing Remain.

Key developments during the night include:

Scotland voted to Remain, with Nicola Sturgeon saying 'the vote here makes clear that the people of Scotland see their future as part of the European Union.'

In Northern Ireland, where voters also came out in favour of Remain, Sinn Fein said: "The British government has forfeited any mandate to represent economic or political interests of people in Northen Ireland."

David Cameron is expected to make some sort of announcement this morning. The key question will be whether he intends to resign or stay on as Prime Minster. And who will lead the negotiations over our withdrawal?

What happens next? We have a very simplified guide here but basically, we have to trigger Article 50 of the treaty on European Union. Once that happens there's a two year window in which to negotiate the terms of withdrawal, and a number of forms that could take.