Poll: Support for Scotland staying in UK at 53%

London - Supporters of keeping Scotland within the United Kingdom held a 6%-point lead in a final independence opinion poll which was published as voters were taking part in the referendum on whether Scotland should break the 307-year-old union.

The Ipsos Mori poll for the London Evening Standard newspaper put support for staying within the UK at 53%, with support for independence at 47%. It said 4% of Scots who were certain to vote were still undecided.

Scots were voting in the referendum on Thursday, with the result expected to come early Friday morning.