Andy Holmes
BBC Three Counties Radio political reporter

It’s now three party leaders in Buckinghamshire that have lost their seats in the 2017 local election.

We've learned that Lib Dem Leader Avril Davies has been defeated after 16 years in Ivinghoe.

Labour group leader Robin Stuchbury has also lost in Buckingham West, with both of those seats now with the Tories.

Earlier, UKIP chief Andy Huxley lost his Aylesbury seat along with his other colleagues in the town.

Andy Holmes
BBC Three Counties Radio political reporter

In the 2013 elections UKIP and Aylesbury was one of the big stories, as they gained five seats in the town to become the official opposition party in Buckinghamshire.

Four years later, the remaining three UKIP councillors have lost their seats.

Leader Andy Huxley and Chris and Brian Adams have been defeated - plus Phil Gomm who went Independent in 2015 but stood again for UKIP this time.

Paul Irwin, who also crossed the floor from UKIP in 2015, has retained his seat in Stone and Waddesdon for the Conservatives.

Andy Holmes
BBC Three Counties Radio political reporter

All the results are now in for Hertfordshire County Council, external and the Conservatives have continued to extend their control.

Of the 78 seats contested, the Conservatives have taken 51, which represents 45.9% of the vote. It's five more than the 46 seats they won in 2013 when 77 seats were contested.

The Liberal Democrats have taken 18 seats, two more than the 16 they won in 2013, and Labour have nine, six fewer than the last vote. The turnout was 34.1%.

As expected, we've not seen a seismic change.

The Lib Dems have made progress gaining an extra two seats in the county, including taking St Albans North from Labour. They still have five seats in St Albans - although they lost St Stephen's ward to the Conservatives.

Labour have lost six seats, including their leader on the county council, Leon Reefe, plus three seats in Stevenage.

Alex Pope
BBC Local Live

Two photos of this morning's helicopter crash at Wycombe Air Park have been released by South Central Ambulance Service. 

Three men have been injured - one has life-threatening injuries, one serious injuries and another with back injuries. 

Image source, South Central Ambulance Service

Image source, South Central Ambulance Service

Image source, South Central Ambulance Service

An investigation into what happened has begun.

Alex Pope
BBC Local Live

An off-duty paramedic has helped at the scene of the helicopter crash at Wycombe Air Park this morning. 

Andy Battye, from South Central Ambulance Service, said: "I would like to thank all our colleagues in the emergency services who supported the response to this helicopter crash. 

"Thames Valley Police, Buckinghamshire Fire & Rescue Service and the airport's fire service, as well as an off-duty paramedic who was at the airport waiting for his own flying lesson, and helped provide initial support and treatment to the most seriously injured patient before the SCAS [ambulance] crews arrived.

Image source, Geograph/Chris

"This was an excellent example of how the emergency services work so effectively together and the thoughts of us all are with the patients and their families. We wish them a full and speedy recovery."  

Alex Pope
BBC Local Live

The Air Accidents Investigation Branch has confirmed it is sending a team to investigate this morning's helicopter crash at Wycombe Air Park, which has left three men hurt - two seriously. 

Alex Pope
BBC Local Live

We've just been told that one man has life-threatening injuries after a helicopter crash at Wycombe Air Park, close to High Wycombe, this morning. 

South Central Ambulance Service was called at 09:39 and sent three ambulances, two rapid response vehicles and the Thames Valley Air Ambulance. 

It said the helicopter came to rest on its side and the occupants of the helicopter, all men, were out. 

Two of the men were taken to John Radcliffe Hospital by ambulance - one with life-threatening injuries. 

The other man sustained serious leg, chest, abdominal, head and shoulder injuries.  

The third patient sustained less serious back injuries and was taken to Wexham Park Hospital.

Andy Holmes
BBC Three Counties Radio political reporter

The results of the Buckinghamshire County Council election are now coming in. 

The big news to start off with is the leader of the UKIP group on the council, Andy Huxley, has lost his seat in Aylesbury North West to Martin Farrow of the Lib Dems. 

Lee Agnew
BBC Three Counties Radio

Thames Valley Police have just confirmed that three people were on board a helicopter that crashed at Wycombe Air Park at 09:42 this morning.

It said the ambulance service had been called. 

The Air Accidents Investigation Branch has also been informed. 

Three fire engines have been sent from Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire. 

Lee Agnew
BBC Three Counties Radio

Emergency services have been called to Wycombe Air Park at Booker in Buckinghamshire following an incident involving a helicopter. 

Police and fire crews were called to the airfield on Clay Lane just after 09:30.

We'll bring you more as soon as we have it. 

A petition has been set up to stop ancient trees being cut down on a patch of ancient woodland in St Albans, known as the Wick.

It's calling for a halt to "countryside management", which will cut down mature trees to widen some of the paths.

In 1929 the land was transferred into the ownership of St Albans City and District Council by Sir Arthur Copson Peake "to keep the land in its wild state, as nature made it". It is designated as a Local Wildlife Site as well as, since 1995, a Local Nature Reserve.

The council has produced a draft Greenspace Action Plan (GAP), external that will guide the management of the site over the next five years.

Wendy Brook, who set up the petition, said: "This beautiful, natural woodland has re-generated perfectly well for 400 years without any management.

"This will ruin the Wick forever.

"[It] was left as a legacy 'to the people of St Albans to be left in its natural state'... Let's not betray this legacy."

St Albans City and District Council said the plan was in the "consultation" stage and it would "welcome all comment and take on board all feedback".

The consultation runs until 14 May. 

Andy Holmes
BBC Three Counties Radio political reporter

The leader of the Labour group on Hertfordshire County Council, Leon Reefe, has lost his seat to the Conservative Susan Brown. 

He'd held the Borehamwood North division since 2013.  

It has not been a good night nationally for Labour, with the party losing control of two councils. 

Leon Reefe was rather unhappy with the news, and said in a tweet: "Yes, I have been one of the losses."

Katy Lewis
BBC Local Live

As we told you earlier, the Lib Dems still have five local government seats in St Albans, with the party claiming it reflects their pro-European stance in the city which voted against Brexit.

Sandy Walkington, re-elected as the Liberal Democrat candidate for St Albans South, said the party's positive attitude to Europe had been well-received in the city.

"Anne Main [the sitting Conservative MP] should be trembling in St Albans for her parliamentary seat on the back of these results, given it's so close to the General Election," he said.

"If you read the social media in St Albans, that really is showing that people have been touched and interested by the fact that we are the party that is saying, 'hang on, we don't have to go down the road to hard Brexit'."

On her website, external, Ms Main says she "loves serving the people of St Albans", adding "our country needs a strong and stable leader [Theresa May] and only the Conservatives can provide that".

Andy Holmes
BBC Three Counties Radio political reporter

We're currently waiting for the results of 12 seats in the Hertfordshire County Council election.

The good news is counting has now started for the remaining districts of Watford and Three Rivers. 

We'll bring you the results as soon as we have them. 

Andy Holmes
BBC Three Counties Radio political reporter

In Hertfordshire, as expected, we've not seen a seismic change overnight as the results of the county council election have come in.

Herts is very Tory, and in fact their position has actually been strengthened.

Already the Conservatives have more seats than in 2013, even if you take into account that this time there are 78 councillors up for election - one more than in 2013 - thanks to boundary changes.

Last time they had 46 seats - their running total is 48 - and with Three Rivers being quite strong for them, you'd expect that figure to rise when we get the results from there and in Watford around lunchtime. 

The Lib Dems still have five seats in St Albans - although they lost St Stephens ward to the Conservatives and won St Albans North from Labour, with reports saying that the party has claimed it reflects their pro-European stance in the city which voted against Brexit.

Andy Holmes
BBC Three Counties Radio political reporter

The counting has now started at Buckinghamshire County Council. 

The ballot boxes are now in place. 

In all, 49 seats are being contested and we will bring you the results as they come in. 

Katy Lewis
BBC Local Live

As the Conservatives extended their control over Herfordshire County Council, one of the places where Labour lost seats was in Stevenage, where they lost three out of the five they held.

Labour's Sharon Taylor, who held her county council seat and is standing in the general election there, blamed the former UKIP vote going to the Tories.

"UKIP didn't put candidates up in many of our county seats, they did at the last round," she said.

"And the UKIP vote has clearly gone mostly to the Conservatives so I think that's what's happened to our vote here in Stevenage."

Sitting Conservative MP Stephen McPartland, who will defend his Stevenage seat at the general election, said: "It's a fantastic result, the main thing for us is that we actually took three seats from Labour and we also won a by-election... so we took over half the seats and the Conservative party also took the most number of votes across the town of Stevenage tonight.

"There's been a very, very warm reception from voters on the doorstep and we've been rewarded tonight."

So far across the county, Labour currently have six seats out of the 66. In 2013 they had 15 overall.

Tony Fisher
BBC Three Counties Radio

There's been a new twist in the row about a home for care leavers being sited outside the entrance to Knowles Primary School in Bletchley.

Earlier this week, we told you that parents had started a petition against the homing of the young people next to their children's school, concerned that the council will not be able to control what happens at the home.  

Approval was given in November to turn the day nursery at the primary school into what was only described as "shared residential accommodation".  

It's now emerged that the home for young care leavers was approved by the council, despite concerns from governors to planning officers that residents may have convictions related to the abuse of children.

Milton Keynes Council has only now said they will not be putting anyone with these types of convictions there.

It insists it notified all adjoining neighbours, including the school, of this application.

The academy which now runs Knowles Primary has been told by the council's lawyer the authority cannot commit to help fund separate fencing - but the council now says it is not a definite no or a yes.

Katy Lewis
BBC Local Live

Motorists are being advised about a large funeral which is taking place in Dunstable today.

The procession is setting off from Redbourn in Hertfordshire at 11:30 and concluding at Dunstable Cemetery at about 16:00.

Up to 1,000 mourners are expected to attend.

Andy Holmes
BBC Three Counties Radio political reporter

Counting is due to start at 09:00 for the Buckinghamshire County Council election, where 49 seats were being contested.

Image source, Google

There will be three counts - Aylesbury, Wycombe and a combined one in Chalfont St Giles with Chiltern District Council and South Bucks District Council.

As it stands, Buckinghamshire is Conservative controlled and it would make the national headlines if that wasn't the case once the count has been completed.

The Tories currently have 36 of the 49 seats.

At the moment UKIP is the official opposition in Bucks, gaining six seats in 2013, although by the end of that term that had been reduced to four with Phil Gomm going Independent and Paul Irwin crossing the floor to Conservative.   

But so far, UKIP is losing all over the place nationally, failing so far to hold a single seat.

Aylesbury was their main area of gain in 2013, with five seats won, thanks to their stance on HS2.They are still campaigning under the guise of UKIP - Scrap HS2 in Aylesbury, but whether that does them any good now royal assent has been given, well we'll find out later. If it doesn't, it will be interesting to see whether the Lib Dems benefit in Aylesbury where they've traditionally done well, or we see more Tory seats.