BRITISH National Party candidate Stephen Davies attracted almost one in five of the votes in the Alsager east ward on Thursday.

Mr Davies, from Linley Road, Alsager, came a close third behind the Conservatives in the borough council seat.

He polled just under 18 per cent of the votes cast, and was only 23 votes from pushing the Conservatives into third spot.

Liberal Democrat Gill Burgess was a comfortable winner on the night, her 716 votes producing a winning margin of 449 votes.

Conservative Wendy Whittaker-Large was way back in second on 267 votes, 22 ahead of Mr Davies, and Labour candidate Robert Ashley was fourth, 101 votes behind the BNP.

The Conservatives are still the largest party on Congleton Borough Council following Thursday's local elections.

They lost one seat to the Lib Dems to leave them on 27 of the 48 council seats.

The Lib Dems have 14 seats, Middlewich First have six councillors, and there is one independent member.

The overall turnout was 32 per cent, one per cent down on last year's poll.

Lib Dem Derek Hough romped home in Alsager Central, as did fellow Lib Dem Rod Fletcher in the town's west ward.

It was a clean sweep for the Conservatives in Congleton, Louise Beard winning in Buglawton and Gary Provis in central.

Andrew Thwaite triumphed in the north ward, Gordon Baxendale was the winner in the north west ward, Michael Cooper won in the south and council leader Roland Domleo was victorious in the west ward.

Conservative Andrew Barratt won in the Odd Rode ward.