UKIP loses 12 seats in Norfolk County Council election

UKIP lost all three of its seats in Great Yarmouth

UKIP has lost all 12 of its seats on Norfolk County County as the Conservative took back control of the authority.

It is the first time the Conservatives have had an overall majority on the council since 2013.

The Tories took nine UKIP seats, while the Lib Dems took two seats and Labour took one.

The Greens also lost its four seats to Labour. Conservatives now have 55 seats, Labour 17 and Lib Dems 11.

There is also one independent.

Labour won two Green Party seats in Norwich

Among those elected was Blur drummer Dave Rowntree, elected for Labour in Norwich, and one of the youngest new councillors, 19-year-old Conservative Ed Colman, elected for Swaffham.

Conservative Cliff Jordan, who has led Norfolk County Council since May 2016, said: "I'm very pleased - it's justification of the hard work the Conservatives have done over the last two years and particularly the last year.

"We're going to deliver our manifesto - that is a contract between us and the public - they can hold us to account on that," he said.

Stuart Agnew, a UKIP MEP for the East of England, reflected on the defeat of UKIP in Norfolk

Stuart Agnew, a UKIP MEP for the East of England - who attended the Great Yarmouth count, said UKIP's showing was "what you might call a strong and stable defeat".

"It was worse than I expected it to be. We knew it was going to be a struggle because of the national mood has gone, but we are also responsible for the national mood."

Blur's drummer Dave Rowntree held the University seat in Norwich for Labour

Following the 2013 election a "rainbow alliance" administration of Labour, UKIP and the Lib Dems with Green support took control of the council.

This continued until May 2016 when a Green revolt led to the Conservatives coming back to power.