Tory MPs have held North Shropshire in some form since it first became a constituency in 1832, and an opposition candidate last held it in 1904. Boris Johnson's recent crop of failures has unsettled the party, however, with residents losing confidence in the leader since disgraced former MP Owen Paterson resigned in November. The vote could have implications outside the constituency's roughly 77,000 strong electorate, with the Prime Minister's career hanging in the balance.

       North Shropshire voting started this morning when polls opened at 7am.

       Voters are still filtering in and out of polling stations, as they won't close until tonight at 10pm.

       When the polls eventually shut for the night, people will likely need to wait a few hours until electors release the results.

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       They will only come once polling station staff have stopped tallying votes.

       As such, there is no definite time when onlookers can expect the results.

       And given the small-scale nature of the election, there won't be an exit poll.

       Going by previous by-elections, it could take several hours before North Shropshire constituents welcome their new MP.

       Controversies surrounding Downing Street Christmas parties and the Prime Minister's conduct have cut through to the general population.

       Tory candidate Neil Shastri-Hurst, a 38-year-old barrister, is among those feeling opposition on the ground.

       He conceded a "real mix" of reactions on the campaign trail, and locals have cited Mr Johnson's missteps as a reason to vote Lib Dem.

       Retired headmaster David Griggs, 72, branded Mr Johnson a "clown for a prime minister", and told The Times Mr Paterson "represented himself — not his constituents".

       Mr Shastri-Hurst has insisted local voters have their minds on "the future" rather than scandal, however.

       Also speaking to The Times, he said they are more interested in "issues that affect their daily lives" rather than "goings-on at Westminster".

       Betting sites currently have the Conservatives odds on to win, with Coral putting the party on 4-6 and the Liberal Democrats on 11-10.

       Labour is unlikely to make much of an impact with its 66-1 odds.