The Tories are celebrating in west Norfolk with 50 seats won in the borough council elections, compared to 40 at the last election.

There are 42 wards in the borough of King's Lynn and West Norfolk and 62 seats. Labour won 10 seats and the Independents, two.

That compares to Conservatives 40 seats, Labour 12, UKIP six, Liberal Democrats two, and Independent two, at the last elections.

Nick Daubney, leader of the Conservative group on the council, said: 'It was a good last night and great today. I could not have been more pleased for Henry Bellingham and Elizabeth Truss, who won in North West Norfolk and South West Norfolk, respectively.

'And today is not just an endorsement of Conservative policies. It also shows those councillors who defected to UKIP without asking the electorate, what the electorate thought of that.'

One of the loudest cheers of the day from the Conservatives was when the former UKIP leader on the council, Paul Foster, failed to get re-elected.

One of the two Independents on the new council, Richard Bird in Hunstanton, said he could not understand why the Tories had done so well.

He said: 'Maybe it's a throwback to the general election. But I was really sorry about Andrew Murray, my fellow Independent, just missing out on being elected by about 60 votes, He was going to be my running mate. That was a bitter/sweet pill.

'But I'm looking forward to another four years of winding up the government side as often as possible.'

All but four of the wards – Hilgay with Denver, St Lawrence, Walton and Wimbotsham with Fincham - were contested. Only one candidate stood in those wards.

Another notable result saw Independent candidate Alexandra Kemp fail to get re-elected in Clenchwarton.

While the turn-out in most wards was about average, with some well above, there was a disappointing showing in some wards, especially North Lynn, where less than half the electorate voted.