Labour took a battering in Hastings, losing its overall control to leave the council hung.

The party lost six seats to the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats to wipe away their ten-strong majority.

It was a night of anguish for Labour. They saw their former council leader and mayor Richard Stevens, who defected to the Lib Dems, return to local politics by taking Old Hastings from them.

Labour leader Jeremy Birch said: "We may have lost overall control but we are still the largest single party.

"We will be putting our programme in front of the council and saying to the other parties vote for us or not, but vote for the future of Hastings."

The defeat comes at a time when the Labour council was engineering Hastings and St Leonards' £400 million regeneration.

Tory leader John Wilson said heavy taxation proved to be Labour's downfall, adding homeowners were fed up with paying above-inflation council tax.

He said: "Although in Hastings we don't have control of the council, the Conservatives headed the popular vote."

Turnout was 34 per cent, 21,766 out of an electorate of 63,021.

ASHDOWN:

Elected: *Robert Cooke (C) 800 Not elected: Patricia Kennelly (LD) 325, Joan Wilde (L) 303 BAIRD Elected: Richard Vallery (C) 572 Not elected: *Ion Castro (L) 436, Feargal Coffey (LD) 241 BRAYBROOKE Elected: *Dominic Sabetian (L) 748 Not elected: Nicholas Prince (C) 437, Janet Saxby (LD) 184, Sally Phillips (G) 143 CASTLE Elected: Paul Smith (LD) 576 Not elected: *Clive Jackson (L) 431, Paul Willard (C) 223, Laurence Homewood (G) 187 CENTRAL ST LEONARDS Elected: *Trevor Webb (L) 469 Not elected: Evelyn Modlinger (LD) 423, Fiona Evans (C) 288 CONQUEST Elected: *Peter Pragnell (C) 837 Not elected: Colin Dormer (LD) 385, Donald Worsley (L) 283, Brian Phillips (G) 78 GENSING Elected: Vivienne Bond (LD) 433 Not elected: *Ronald Rushbrook (L) 421, Theresa Lock (C) 320, David Carey-Stuart (G) 140 HOLLINGTON:

Elected: *Terry Soan (L) 443 Not elected: Jitendra Madlani (C) 275, Henry Campbell (LD) 177, Kevin Young (G) 104 MAZE HILL:

Elected: *Maureen Charlesworth (C) 687 Not elected: David Russell (LD) 261, Jessica Maloney (L) 250, Stanley Manning (UKIP) 229 OLD HASTINGS:

Elected: Richard Stevens (LD) 662 Not elected: *Arthur Kitson (L) 548, Terence Keen (C) 456, Mary Robertson (G) 156 ORE Elected: Anne Marie Bird (C) 543 Not elected: *Peter Chowney (L) 392, Stephanie Edmonds (LD) 239 SILVERHILL Elected: Michael Lambrechs (C) 545 Not elected: Alan Roberts (L) 430, William Third (LD) 244, Simon Medhurst (G) 122 ST HELENS Elected: *Matthew Lock (C) 929 Not elected: Melanie Rycroft (L) 640, Pamela Alders (LD) 264 TRESSELL Elected: * Aileen McDonnell (L) 358 Not elected: David Cooke (C) 239, Jennifer Ayres (LD) 230 WEST ST LEONARDS Elected: *Matthew Beaver (C) 443 Not elected: Donald Wise (LD) 255, Keith Wood (L) 243, Howell Powell (UKIP) 219 Results key:

denotes sitting councillor
C Conservative G Green I Independent L Labour LD Liberal Democrat UKIP United Kingdom Independence Party BNP British National Party