UKIP has suffered a further setback at Thanet Council, losing another seat just weeks after its majority fell apart in the only local authority the party had controlled in the UK.
The latest defeat came at the handsof Labour in a by-election for the Margate Central ward after its incumbent, Jeff Elenor, resigned to move out of the area.
Labour candidate Ian Venables won 454 out of 789 votes – a 57 per cent share of the vote, with the Conservatives in second place with 190 votes and UKIP third with 52 votes. However, the turnout was just 21 per cent.
The result leaves UKIP with 26 councillors and the other parties with 29 members. The by-election follows a defection last month by the former UKIP Councillor Beverley Martin to the Conservatives.
