EU referendum result: Big early victory for Vote Leave in Sunderland
Delighted Leave supporters drowned out the regional counting officer in Sunderland as she announced their big win in the city.
They hugged and cheered as Sue Stanhope made the announcement at the tennis centre in Silksworth, where the count had been conducted with the usual efficiency.
From the 134,400 votes cast, Leave received 82,394 (61.3%) and Remain polled 51,930 (38.7%).
A Remain-supporting Labour source had conceded defeat half an hour before, saying they expected Leave to win by a "comfortable margin".
Whether the source predicted that comfortable margin would stretch to the eventual majority of more than 30,000 was debatable.
But there was better news for Remain in Newcastle, where they narrowly won with a vote of 65,404 (50.7%) against Leave on 63,598 (49.3%).
Sunderland prides itself on running a slick operation to count votes, and its three constituencies were the first to declare at the last general election. The city uses students to run the ballot boxes to the tables of counters, many of whom are bank tellers used to quickly handling cash.
Delighted Richard Elvin, of Ukip and a Leave campaign co-ordinator in the North East, said: "We were hopeful of winning but we didn't dare to think we could win by such a big margin."
Nissan is a major employer on Wearside and Mr Elvin said voters were not put off from backing Leave despite "scaremongering" from Remain about the threat to jobs if the UK left the EU.
He had no idea about the national picture and was "surprised" Nigel Farage had apparently conceded defeat.
"Someone said he had been talking to friends in the City," Mr Elvin said. "I would have thought they were the last people you should talk to, and not people on the doors."
In campaigner Bridget Phillipson, Labour MP for Houghton and Sunderland South, said people in Sunderland were angry with the government.
"Wages remain low, there's unemployment and we are not getting the support from the Tory government.
"They feel the Tory government continues to kick our region."
Though she was disappointed with the local result, she felt last year's general election outcome was a worse night.
