Today is election day and the staff of one Cumbrian company will be making an alternative trip to the polls.

Crew at Apollo Air Services, a helicopter charter firm which is based at Carlisle Lake District Airport, will be travelling to the inner Hebrides where they will play a key role in tonight's results.

After the polls have closed they will transport ballot boxes from some of the smallest and most remote communities in this part of Scotland to Lochgilphead on the mainland, where they will be counted.

Two helicopters will leave the airport at approximately 6pm tonight.

One will take a northern route, covering the islands of Iona, Tiree, Col and Mull.

The second will fly along a southern route collecting at the islands of Giha, Jura, Islay and Colonsay.

Both aircraft then head back to Lochgilphead, which is the administrative centre of Argyll and Bute, to hand over the collection boxes and then they will return to Carlisle.

Chief pilot Steve Graham said: “Apollo Air Services has been involved in the ballot box collection since 2014 and are delighted to once again offer their services to the Argyll and Bute Council to get the ballot boxes in on time”.

The crew will undertake this journey in two Agusta Westland 109SP helicopters, which are made in the UK and have a new price of $6.3m (£4.8m).

A spokesman for the firm said: "These aircraft are fully capable of operating at night, and with the advanced avionics installed can carry out this challenging task with minimum risk.

"Apollo are the only helicopter operator in the north of England and Scotland who operate this type of aircraft."

He added: "The experience of the pilots and the ground crew involved both on the night and in organising this late night flight is incredible, with a lot of hard work done by all to make this important delivery of votes to the mainland on time."

Apollo was set up in 2014 and also operates out of Cardiff City Heliport and London Southend airport. Their charters include golfing events, horse racing and motor sport, as well as airport transfers.