LABOUR supporters say they fear for the political future of South Dorset MP and government minister Jim Knight after a devastating national result in yesterday’s local elections.

The Conservatives kept control of Dorset County Council, with Labour losing all its four seats on the authority. The Tories also kept Hampshire County Council.

The final state of the parties in Dorset was Conservatives 28 (up four), Liberal Democrats 16 (no change), Independents one (no change), Labour zero (down four).

The result followed a fourth recount in the Purbeck division of Edgon Heath, which the Lib Dems eventually won by four votes.

Although they could never have expected to cause any upsets in Purbeck, Labour polled fewer votes than in the last county elections and supporters were depressed.

Max Stanford, who polled 366 votes in the Swanage seat, said: “The record of the Tory county council is not good, but it doesn’t seem to have made a difference to the result.

“The expenses issues seem to have hit Labour harder than everybody else. Obviously we’re very worried about the future now as far as the general election and Jim Knight’s seat is concerned.”

Liberal Democrat David Budd, who held onto his Wareham seat, added: “I think there have been some voters swayed by the national situation. I’m pleased that the turnout was almost as good as last year.

“We try to encourage people to vote on local issues for the county council and what’s going on in Westminster, as despicable as it is, is nothing to do with the local county council.”

Christchurch’s county seats remained overwhelmingly blue, but the UK Independence Party made massive advances.

The Tories took four out of the five Christchurch seats, with Liberal Democrat candidate Peter Hall re-elected for Christchurch central, but UKIP took second place in three wards.

Conservative David Jones took the Burton Grange ward from long-serving Liberal Democrat councillor Betty Fox-Hodges, who has represented the ward for the past 16 years.

In the town centre, Liberal Democrat candidate Cllr Peter Hall narrowly won the seat for Christchurch Central by 93 votes from his Conservative opponent Cllr Ray Nottage.

Conservatives councillors Colin Jamieson and Alan Griffiths easily took the seats for Highcliffe Walkford and Mudeford Highcliffe, with Cllr Griffiths gaining nearly 60 per cent of the vote in the Mudeford Highcliffe area, and Cllr David Fox was comfortably re-elected in the Commons area.

However, despite the predominant Conservative success, it was in these three wards that UKIP came second.

Tension was high for East Dorset's count at The Hub in Verwood . A recount for the Minster ward saw Tory Robin Cook win by 1,594 votes to Lib Dem Marilyn Osner’s 1,567.

Cllr Cook said: “Marilyn fought a very good and fair fight. It was far too close to call right down to the last moment.”

Marilyn Osner said she was in “shock” after losing the seat she had held for eight years,. She said the 59 spoiled papers could have changed the outcome.

“I said to Robin Cook ‘You look after my residents’,” she said. “I’m in shock. I don’t very often lose.”

In Ferndown, Derek Burt and John Wilson won by large margins, but with UKIP as runners-up.

Cllr Wilson said: “UKIP has proved tobe much better than we expected it to be. What is happening in London has a big impact without a doubt. Quite a large number of ballot papers – an astonishing number by normal standards – had no votes on them at all. Most were completey blank. Some had things like ‘I am not voting’ or ‘None of you’. There is no doubt at all that people have been upset by the MPs’ expenses. It has had an impact on this election.”

The Tories won a fourth term of office on Hampshire County Council. The state of the parties last night was Conservatives 51 (up six), Lib Dems 25 (down three), Labour one (down three) and Independents one (no change). Labour lost three of the four seats it was defending.

UKIP gained no seats but snatched six per cent of the vote – just one per cent less than Labour.

In the New Forest, the Tories held seven seats and gained one from the Liberal Democrats.

The one division that changed hands was South Waterside, where Tory Alexis McEvoy captured the seat vacated by Lib Dem Lee Dunsdon.

Ken Thornber kept his Brockenhurst seat and David Harrison, leader of Lib Dem opposition group on the district council was re-elected in Totton South.

Rachel Smith, the defeated Lib Dem candidate in Brockenhurst, was forced to miss the count because her husband, Lib Dem treasury spokesman Vince Cable, has been taken to hospital with appendicitis The United Kingdom Independence Party finished second in New Milton in the absence of a Lib Dem candidate.

The seat was won by Mel Kendal, the county council's executive member for environment and former leader of the district council. Cllr Kendal had previously represented Lyndhurst, which also stayed Tory.

In Fordingbridge Edward Heron, deputy leader of the district council, won the seat vacated by his mother Kathy.

Cllr Thornber said: "I have fought eight elections now and I have never known the going so difficult for reasons beyond local government. Some people – and you can't blame them – said 'a plague on all your houses'."