Peter Aldous has held onto his seat for the Conservatives in Waveney.

Eastern Daily Press: The six Waveney candidates on stage as returning officer Stephen Baker announces the results. Picture: Amy Smith.The six Waveney candidates on stage as returning officer Stephen Baker announces the results. Picture: Amy Smith. (Image: Archant)

Mr Aldous, who has been MP since 2010, won the seat with 28,643 votes, increasing his majority on the 2015 result.

He said: 'It is a honour and a privilege to be re-elected to serve the Waveney constituency. It is a very, very special community and I'm honoured to continue to represent you in Parliament. I will do all that I can to look after your interests the best I can.'

Eastern Daily Press: Elfrede Brambley-Crawshaw for Green. Picture: Amy SmithElfrede Brambley-Crawshaw for Green. Picture: Amy Smith (Image: Archant)

He also paid tribute to council staff, the volunteers and police for their hard work during the general election and thanked his rivals for a competitive but good natured campaign.

Labour's Sonia Barker came in second with 19,428 votes, after the count initially looked close.

Eastern Daily Press: Labour candidate Sonia Baker. Picture: Amy Smith.Labour candidate Sonia Baker. Picture: Amy Smith. (Image: Archant)

She said: 'We have built a brilliant team on which to build future foundations and hopefully a future victory.

'What I have been concerned about is the snap election and how it has undermined democracy because it has not enabled us to do the things we would have liked to have done.

'What we have achieved though is got huge numbers of young people involved in our campaign, we had 27 out yesterday evening and we've had huge numbers over the last five weeks and social media has attracted a large number in.'

Bert Poole for UKIP secured 1,933 votes, followed by Elfrede Brambley-Crawshaw for the Green Party with 1,332 votes, Jacky Howe for the Liberal Democrats with 1,012 votes and Independent Allyson Barron with 326 votes.

Mrs Brambley-Crawshaw said the election had been an 'assault on democracy,' and that a seven-week period to fight a general election was absurd.

She said: 'Our first past the post system has meant that once again millions of voters are unrepresented.'

She finished her speech by saying: 'Caroline Lucas said 'well behaved women seldom make history.' I intend to misbehave.'

In 2015, Mr Aldous won the seat with 22,104 votes, up against Labour's Bob Blizzard who secured 19,696 votes.

The overall turnout of the 80,763 electorates was 65.3pc (52,754) - up on 65.1pc in 2015.