Those fancying a flutter may be interested to learn William Hill has placed UKIP as 4/11 favourites to retain the Rochester and Strood seat at next year's general election. The Conservative party are at 2/1 to win it back. Further out are Labour at 20/1 and you can get 200/1 for the Lib Dems.

Thanet North Conservative MP Sir Roger Gale tells BBC Radio Kent: "I think Kelly Tolhurst will be the MP for Rochester and Strood in May 2015."

Andrew John in West Wales emails: While I would not vote UKIP - because they're Tories by another name - it's good to see the real Tories getting a pasting.

BBC political correspondent Vicki Young tweets:, external After his victory Mark Reckless tells me he celebrated with an orange juice, several cups of coffee and then did emails.

Green candidate Clive Gregory believes his party was a victim of tactical voting in Rochester.

He says: "I think had we got everyone who wants to vote Green to vote Green we'd definitely been in with a deposit-saving situation and maybe even pushing into the high [vote share figures], even towards 10%.

"We feel that's actually regainable for the general election and as soon as this finishes we're back on the campaign working towards that."

Mr Gregory said the Green Party was the only "true opposition" and five seats at the general election was a realistic possibility.

Aiden tweets, external: The tables are turning, the people have spoken. Well done #RochesterandStrood for electing #MarkReckless positive change is happening. #UKIP

Image source, EPA

The Tory candidate in Rochester and Strood, Kelly Tolhurst, tweets:, external "Massive thanks to all who've voted for me. To my campaign team & my family - I couldn't have done #RSvote without you - you've been amazing."

Bry emails: I believe that both major parties have become so unpopular that the general public is voting for an alternative, rather than voting for issues such as immigration.

Mr Farage said UKIP won in Rochester because it did not just get Conservative votes. "We got Labour votes... we got Lib Dems. The Conservative make-up of our vote last night was a minority of the votes that we picked up."

Mary-Ann Jones in West Midlands tweets, external: .@ukip Can you enlighten me on your housing & planning policy? One issue party perhaps? Better get the pens out #UKIP #RochesterandStrood

Here's Rochester and Strood's newest MP, who looks remarkably like the previous one. Vicki Young, BBC political correspondent, tweeted this picture, writing, external: "Mark Reckless arrives in London after no sleep following by-election victory #UKIP."

Rochester resident Angela Rahman, editor of Nubia Magazine, who was born in Manchester to Jamaican parents, told BBC Radio Kent she was very concerned about the by-election result because UKIP "represents everything to do with anti-immigration, so that's scary for me".

Nigel Farage, talking to BBC Breakfast, says that "from Birmingham, up to Hadrian's Wall, if you vote Conservative, you will get Labour, because UKIP is the only challenger there".

He added: "We want this country to have a referendum to decide whether we govern our own country or not. That referendum will only happen if we only get enough UKIP MPs into Westminster on May 7th next year. What happened last night in Rochester takes us a massive step forward on that route."

The Guardian's political editor, Patrick Wintour, writes, external that "the nature of by-elections is that they are of little intrinsic significance: their importance lies in their consequence".

He adds: "Overall, the Rochester result does not seem such a thunderbolt, or so unexpected that the Tory party will self-destruct. If so, that places some pressure on UKIP to retain momentum".

Conservative Leader of the House of Commons, William Hague, tells BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "We will work every day from now to the general election to make sure we get this seat back at the general election. I think there is every prospect of doing so."

Gabriel Stirling in Aldermaston Wharf tweets, external: Labour needs to return left wing policies if it's to regain support after #rochesterbyelection

Mr Farage dismisses the idea that Labour could mount a fight-back against his party.

"I doubt they can make those inroads under this leader," he says. "Labour have increasingly become anti-English, happy to pander in every way to Scotland. New Labour believes any sense of English identity is disreputable and wrong."

James Birdseye in London tweets, external: The major story of #rochesterbyelection is the total collapse of @LibDems. National outlook, virtual end of party in 2015.

Some more from Nigel Farage from the Today programme. The UKIP leader defended the debate within his party on whether the NHS should be privatised.

He says: "The idea we get from Andy Burnham and the Labour Party that it's immoral and wicked to have a debate about how we might do things differently is what led to Mid Staffordshire and so many disasters."

BBC political correspondent Vicki Young tweets, external: Waiting at not very secret location for arrival of @MarkReckless he didn't get this kind of attention as a Tory backbencher