AS dawn began to break so did the smile across David Gauke's face.

The Conservative candidate from Chorleywood became increasingly confident from 3am that he was the MP for Hertfordshire South West.

Long before the result had been announced the piles of votes seemed to show a substantial Conservative majority developing and the expressions on the faces of other candidates Labour's Kerron Cross, Liberal Democrat Ed Featherstone and UK Independence Party candidate Colin Rodden showed increasing resignation.

At 4am Mr Gauke claimed victory.

He said: "I don't know what the majority is yet but at the moment it seems pretty clear we have taken this seat.

"I am very pleased to have been elected and it is a huge honour to be elected in my own constituency.

"This is a lovely part of the world.

"I am pleased the Conservatives are gaining seats, especially in Hertfordshire, and I think we are on the way back."

Labour hopeful Kerron Cross, a district councillor in South Oxhey and resident of Croxley Green, accepted his inevitable defeat graciously.

He said: "I am pleased we fought a fair campaign."

He said it was Labour that were the opposition to the Conservatives in Three Rivers in this election, and the Liberal Democrats never stood a chance.

He said: "We had a good response from the voters, who said they were glad we had a young local candidate.

"I'd like to thank David Gauke for fighting a fair campaign and wish him all the best as a Conservative MP."

He said he would continue to serve the people of South Oxhey until 2008 as a district councillor.

Liberal Democrat candidate Ed Featherstone congratulated Mr Gauke on his victory.

"We both fought a fair and clean fight and he did well to win the seat.

"I would say it has been a good night for the Liberal Democrats in general, and bodes well for the next election."

Colin Rodden, the UKIP candidate, was unavailable for comment and was believed to have left before the result was declared.

The new Tory MP, with an increased turnout on the election four years ago, took the seat with a majority of more than 8,000.

The Lib Dems finished 4,500 ahead of Labour's Kerron Cross when the result was announced just after 5am.