TORIES look set to retain control of New Forest District Council despite seeing the Conservative vote collapse in many other parts of the country.

Conservative candidates were elected in wards across the district as many true-blue voters stayed loyal to the party.

As the Daily Echo went to press the Tories had won 12 of the 48 seats with their nearest rivals, the Liberal Democrats, capturing four seats.

Conservative celebrations were diluted by a series of surprise results.

Labour won its first seat on the council for more than 40 years and the Green Party was left celebrating a double triumph in Bransgore and Downland wards.

Janet Richards and Neil Millington became the first Greens to be elected to the authority.

Cllr Millington said: "It’s an amazing achievement for us at the New Forest Green Party.

"Lots of hard work from supporters giving up their time to make it possible. Now we can get on with improving the service New Forest residents receive and holding the council to account."

The Labour victor was engineer John Haywood, 50, who captured one of the two vacant seats in Ringwood North.

He said: "It's taken a lot of hard work over many months, if not years. I believe there was a Labour councillor in Totton in the 1970s but nothing since.

"I'm only the second Labour councillor on the authority in 40-odd years."

Labour also did well in Ringwood South, with each candidate polling more than 400 votes, but both the seats up for grabs were won by the Conservatives.

One of the victors was Jeremy Heron, brother of Hampshire county councillor Edward Heron, who did not stand in the district elections.

Jeremy Heron's son, fellow Tory Robert Heron, lost in Fordingbridge, where both seats fell to the Liberal Democrats.

The current leader of the council leader, Jill Cleary, retained her seat by winning one of the two seats up for grabs in Ashley and Bashley.

A former leader, fellow Tory Barry Rickman, was re-elected at Sway, where the Green Party finished second.

The count took place at Applemore Health and Leisure Centre near Hythe.

The first result was declared at 1pm, with Tory Neil Tungate scoring an easy victory over his four rivals in Barton ward, including Britain First candidate Nick Lambert.

It was over an hour before the second result, Ashley and Bashley, was announced.