Labour clung to a party stronghold by just one seat in one of the most dramatic results of the local polls.

Crawley has been held by Labour since 1973 but just three votes secured its majority during the party's worst elections in almost a decade.

The result was one of the biggest upsets during Labour's battering as voters delivered a punishing message to the party in Sussex and across England and Wales.

Labour blamed the war in Iraq for turning voters against the party, allowing the Conservatives to make huge advances in many areas.

The battle for Crawley was one of the closest in the county.

With just one seat to declare, the authority could have fallen into no overall control.

Labour was left with a majority of just one seat on the council. Its previous majority was 12.

There were nailbiting moments during the counts at Crawley Leisure Centre.

Labour and the Conservatives at first seemed neck and neck, winning 16 seats each. The Lib Dems had two.

The final seat to be declared was for Southgate ward.

The results were re-counted twice because the margin between Labour's Robbie Aneel Sharma and Tory Stephen Beaumont was so slim.

After the first count two votes stood between the pair but following a second recount the seat was won by Councillor Sharma, standing in his first election and helping Labour to retain power.

Coun Sharma secured 674 votes to Mr Beaumont's 671.

Local Labour leader Chris Redmayne admitted national policies had hit the party hard.

Coun Redmayne told The Argus: "We always felt the Government of the day was unpopular and people would use this as a referendum.

"The war in Iraq is unpopular and the European elections on the same day is what pushed the result so close."

He then told supporters: "I'm so proud we've won today.

"My motto has been that Crawley is safe in Labour hands."

Coun Sharma who had waited for almost four hours for the result, said: "I'm happy, very relieved it's all over.

"We were sweating in there but we're happy with the end result and I'm looking forward to getting started and involved."

Richard Burrett, leader of the council's Tories, retained his seat.

He said the number of votes cast across all the seats for the Conservatives showed people were losing faith in Labour.

He said: "We had more than 4,300 more people voting Conservative than for Labour. Labour have to start listening to the opposition and the views of our constituents."

Lib Dem leader Gordon Seekings told his supporters: "I would not say it has been a very good night for Labour.

"I congratulate them on retaining power but looking around at the results around the country, people are sending out the message that the Government can't be trusted."

Labour has 19 seats, the Conservatives 16 and the Lib Dems two.

BEWBUSH Elected: Douglas Murdoch (L) 718, Christine Cheshire (L) 659, Christopher Redmayne (L) 636 Not elected: Helen Burke (C) 443, Louise Henry (C) 387, Adam Brown (C) 368, Victoria Dore (G) 276, Arshad Khan (Justice Party) 183 BROADFIELD NORTH Elected: Brian Quinn (L) 665, Thakordas Patel (L) 503 Not elected: Corinne Bowen (C) 404, David Bowen (C) 381 BROADFIELD SOUTH Elected: Marcella Head (C) 405, Alan Quirk (C) 375 Not elected: Andrew Skudder (L) 353, *James McGough (L) 336, Philippa Emott (G) 180 FURNACE GREEN Elected: *Duncan Crow (C) 849, Kirstie Neal (C) 686 Not elected: Geraldine Hooten (L) 531, David Barry (LD) 514, Jayne Skudder (L) 456, Roger McMurray (LD) 400, Vernon Atkinson (BNP) 285, Colin Maughan (G) 200 GOSSOPS GREEN Elected: Beryl Mecrow (C) 659, Brian Blake (C) 645 Not elected: Christopher Mullins (L) 612, *William Ward (L) 496, Ann Gomeze (LD) 196, Clayton Gomeze (LD) 178, Ben Liles (G) 141 IFIELD Elected: John Mortimer (L) 764, Bernard Clay (L) 673, *John Stanley (L) 669 Not elected: Joan Moore (C) 573, Trevor Shaw (C) 565, Andrew Belben (C) 499, George Baldwin (BNP) 487, Barry Hamilton (LD) 394, Andrew Beckett (LD) 355, Richard Symonds (I) 341 LANGLEY GREEN Elected: Brenda Smith (L) 792, *David Shreeves (L) 743, *James Smith (L) 708 Not elected: Charles Skinner (C) 440, Leonard Pellett (C) 436, Kevin Osborne (LD) 421, Reginald Hawksworth (C) 397, Michael Scott (LD) 348, Rudolph Affolter (G) 247 MAIDENBOWER Elected: Jennifer Millar-Smith (C) 1115, Lenworth Walker (C) 1080, Brenda Brockwell (C) 1018 Not elected: Raymond Calcott (L) 336, Darren Wise (LD) 321, Josephine McQuade (L) 318, Peter Bannister (LD) 312, Ronald Finch (L) 299 NORTHGATE Elected: *Gordon Seekings (LD) 610, Linda Seekings (LD) 568 Not elected: Jean Calcott (L) 276, Barry Richards (L) 268, John Blakeman (C) 218, Christina Townsend (C) 190 POUND HILL NORTH Elected: Keith Brockwell (C) 1331, *Sarah Ann Blake (C) 1295, Richard Burrett (C) 1278 Not elected: Colin Moffatt (L) 500, Denise Clewer (L) 459, Dawn Powell (L) 449 POUND HILL SOUTH AND WORTH Elected: *Robert Lanzer (C) 1291, Claire Denman (C) 1223, Lee Burke (C) 1170 Not elected: Alison Cornell (L) 463, Jack Harris (L) 441, Hasu Mehta (L) 428, Edward Reay (LD) 415, Cyril Gambrell (G) 338 SOUTHGATE Elected: Stephen Joyce (L) 722, Ian Irvine (L) 721, Aneel Sharma (L) 674 Not elected: Stephen Beaumont (C) 671, Barbara Wright (C) 605, Gurdev Kalsi (C) 554, Jonathan Bonner (LD) 438, Malcolm Liles (G) 409, Joelle Dumetz (G) 369, Richard Trower (BNP) 294 THREE BRIDGES Elected: Brenda Burgess (C) 679, Daryl Barnes-Austin (L) 637 Not elected: John Rolf (C) 589, Payal Patel (L) 516, Victoria Seekings (LD) 240, Howard Llewelyn (LD) 210, Maris Liles (G) 149, Ryan Grice (BNP) 221 TILGATE Elected: Colin Lloyd (L) 748, Samantha Cleeve (L) 745 Not elected: Alexander Maple (C) 661, Christina Belben (C) 645 WEST GREEN Elected: Albert Crane (L) 632, Robert Hull (L) 505 Not elected: Georgina Hook (C) 358, Faith Tamkin (C) 322, Anthony Graham (G) 264 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