A Portland hairdressing salon will be doubling as a polling station today as voting opens for local elections.

Seats are up for grabs for a third of the seats on Weymouth and Portland Borough Council.

Candidates will also be standing for election for Purbeck District Council.

Polls opened at 7am and will close at 10pm tonight when the Weymouth and Portland count will begin in earnest and results are expected in the early hours of tomorrow and can be seen on the Dorset Echo website dorsetecho.co.uk.

Elite hairdressing salon in Chiswell, Portland will be hosting a polling station.

Proprietor Clair Roy said the salon had been used as a polling station before and they were expecting today to be quite busy.

She said: “We did it last year and it seemed a really good idea. We’re in the middle of the area so it’s perfect and really convenient for the local people.”

The salon is hoping for a big turnout of voters this year.

Mrs Roy said: “I imagine there will be quite a few voters. It’s normally quite busy.”

She added: “I think it’s going to be good. People are excited to vote.”

Polling stations will close at 10pm and all the ballot boxes for Weymouth and Portland elections will be collected and taken to Weymouth Pavilion for counting.

• For election news and results visit www.dorsetecho.co.uk.