Labour has won a resounding victory in the Hayling Ward by-election, winning more than double the votes of its nearest rival.

Party candidate Stephen King won 487 votes, beating the the Conservatives’ Ty Harris (196) into second place and BNP candidate Deirdre Gates (170) into third.

The Liberal Democrats trailed home with a mere 56 votes.

Mr King said in a statement: “The BNP has been beaten back into third – it’s just a shame it wasn’t fourth.”

In acrimonious scenes at the end of this morning’s count, held at the offices of Three Rivers District Council, the BNP delegation was loudly booed as it left.