Scottish independence referendum LIVE

1632: According to Spain´s El Pais Scottish PM Alex Salmond has indicated his intention to resign.

0922: The polls have been open for just over two hours but, according to Oddschecker, some bookmakers have already shortened the odds for a ‘no’ win.

0924: Ipsos Mori have released an infographic showing Scottish voting intention by level of deprivation. The poll shows a significant divide in opinion between affluent and deprived areas. Those from affluent areas are almost twice as likely to place a 'no' vote compared to those from poorer areas.

0920: A pro-union vote remains the bookmakers’ favourite, with odds between 2/11 and 1/5, while an independent Scotland is priced at odds fluctuating between 7/2 and 10/3. Will the old cliché about the race being a marathon rather than a sprint prove to

0914: As of 09:14 the Footsie is drifting lower by 4 points to 6,777.

0900: And these are the front pages of the national press on this historic and fateful day for Britain. It´s a once in a life-time event, so please feel free to save it.

0830: The 'yes' camp released its final bullish statement via the Scotsman newspaper, with its rallying call stating that with "the most highly educated population in Europe", Scotland is a country so well-equipped "can, beyond any doubt, succeed as an independent nation". But there was a dose of reality too: "Nobody pretends that independence will be a land of milk and honey. We will make mistakes, but they will be ours to make and we will learn from them. We will face challenges, but with the full powers of independence we will be better equipped to meet them."

0800: YouGov have posted an interesting infographic showing how the votes have converged, with the 'yes' vote strengthening from less than 40% to overtake the 'no' vote before losing momentum again. The online pollster's final poll for The Sun/The Times last night was 52% for 'no' and 48% for 'yes'.

0705: An extract from Gordon Brown's rousing speech last night in defence of the 'no' campaign. "This is not the fear of the unknown. This is now the risks of the known – an economic minefield where problems could implode at any time, an economic trapdoor down which we go, from which we might never escape."

0637: Scots have awoken on the day of the independence referendum with polling stations set to open at 07:00. A total 97% of eligible voters having registered to do so. The last polls released in the run-up to today give the No camp the slightest of leads. Yet the changing demographics, 16 and 17 year-olds will for the first time be allowed to vote, for example, means that predicting the outcome of the vote is nigh impossible. Scottish statehood looms on the horizon, as does the break-up of the 307-year old United Kingdom, one of the oldest political entities in Europe, with quite a few observers having warned that what some describe as a divisive process for Scotland may have been ill-considered.

Thursday 18 September 2014, 0630: Welcome to our live coverage of the Scottish referendum. With only one week left until Scots decide whether to remain part of the union or not, things are hotting north of the border.

1620: And that's all for the moment from us in this section. Goodnight and good luck.

1615: Scottish independence could encourage separatists worldwide, Capital Economics has said in a report.The think-tank adds that "it could tilt the balance of opinion in Britain towards leaving the European Union".

1557: "Our expectation is that UK borrowing costs will rise by around 20bp-30bp and sterling will fall further in the event of a ‘yes’ to independence," Unicredit Research says.

1556: Treasury sources have labelled Alex Salmond's claims that they deliberately leaked news about RBS preparing to relocate its headquarters a "desperate distraction tactic", saying the accusation was "absurd". Earlier today, Scotland's First Minister had hinted to an "inevitable investigation" into an alleged Treasury leak. "Market sensitive information, and it's a basic rule, can't be released prior to the market announcement at 7 o'clock this morning," Salmond said. "The RBS share price changed overnight. This is a matter of extraordinary gravity.

15:11 According to Eleanor Bradford, BBC Scotland Health Correspondent, the Institute for Fiscal Studies has said that Scotland would probably have to lower its NHS spending if it was to become independent. Even with the higher oil revenues forecasted by the Scottish government, Scotland would need to borrow more - or tax more - than the rest of the UK if it wanted to increase spending on the NHS.

1415: Amid reports that Scottish banks have drawn up contingency plans in the event of a win for the 'yes' campaign, some customers have taken to social media networks to vent their anger at the proposal.

1224: According to the Telegraph, a record 4.3m people have registered to vote in the Scottish referendum - the highest in Scottish electoral history.

1149: Following last night's poll from Survation bookies' are paying 1/4 for 'no' winning and 3/1 for 'yes', according to data from Oddschecker.

1145: Bookmakers suggest the 'no' vote remains the favourite in the race for Scottish independence, with heavy betting against the country breaking away from the United Kingdom. Betfair’s betting exchange, which has an impressive track record of calling political outcomes correctly, has remained firmly in favour of the 'no' vote, the company said, with the big money trades continuing to bet against a breakaway. While trade has been fuelled by significant bets from south of the border, including two London punters placing bets as high as £19,000 and £22,000 on the 'no' campaign. However, Scottish customers, who make up 20% of the overall participants in the market, have made a significant number of bets on 'yes' since the weekend, forcing brief contractions in the price.

1130: Oil production from the North Sea may be at risk due to the legal uncertainty which would follow in the wake of an independent Scotland. Any transition on North Sea oevrsight could take several years to resolve, the Financial Times' Lex column explains.

1126: TSB Banking Group said it has been considering the impact of Scottish Independence on its business. "It is likely that in the event of a 'yes' vote, TSB will establish additional legal entities in England. Any change in TSB’s legal structure would be taken in the interests of our customers and business," the lender said in a statement.

1121: Salmond: "The sense of purpose coursing through Scottish life is unmistakable. For the first time ever, Scots believe we can do this and we will do this." The First Minister said pensions will be secure in an independent Scotland. "Only a Yes vote delivers real opportunity."

1115: Scotland's First Minister Alex Salmond is speaking to a press conference on the on the anniversary of the 1997 devolution referendum. "We're going to wake up to a lifetime of feeling confident in ourselves and our country. A 'yes' vote next Thursday is not the end of something but the beginning of something special,"he said. Salmond described the chance of creating an independent Scotland as "the opportunity of a lifetime".
"No one is better placed to govern Scotland than the people of Scotland. No one understands the aspirations of the people more," he said.

1047: Clydesdale Bank have announced its has contingency plans in place in case of a 'yes' majority next week. “We have strong roots in Scotland and we remain fully committed to our customers, staff and the communities in which we operate. Any change to the company’s legal structure would have no impact on the vast majority of the Bank’s staff. Clydesdale Bank would continue to serve its customers just as it has since 1838 and Glasgow will continue to be the Bank’s key operational centre,” said David Thorburn, the bank chief executive.

0922: John Lewis is the latest company to warn prices might go up in Scotland in case of independence. "From a business perspective there will be economic consequences to a 'yes' vote, not just in uncertainty but some of the turmoil we are hearing about. And it is also the case that it does cost more money to trade in parts of Scotland and therefore those hard costs, in the event of a yes vote, are more likely to be passed on," said Sir Charlie Mayfield, chairman of the John Lewis Partnership.

0816: RBS and Lloyds might move to England, regardless of the outcome of next week's referendum. The banks would want to kick off the relocation process irrespective of the decision,” Chirantan Barua, an analyst at Sanford C. Bernstein, told Bloomberg, saying the risk had become "irreversible".

0740: Lloyds revealed it has contingency plans in place in case of a win for the 'yes' campaign. "While the scale of potential change is currently unclear, we have contingency plans in place which include the establishment of new legal entities in England," the bank said in a statement released last night.

0736: A poll by Scottish newspaper Daily Record has given fresh hopes to the pro-union parties, saying 47.6% of those who took part in the survey plan to vote "no" on 18 September, with 42.4% voting in favour of independence. It is worth noting, however, that the survey polled only 1,000 people.

0700: Good morning and welcome to our live coverage of the Scottish referendum. With only one week left until Scots decide whether to remain part of the union or not, things are hotting north of the border.