Tories ahead in county elections at the expense of UKIP

Conservatives celebrating gaining seats from Labour in Stevenage. Credit: Chloe Keedy / ITV News Anglia

Only two of the six counties in the Anglia region have so far declared results but the Conservatives are making the early running.

The Tories have increased their majority fourfold on Essex County Council and made gains in Hertfordshire.

UKIP has lost all its seats in Essex - a county where the party was surging ahead the last time these seats were contested in 2013.

Labour has lost seats in the early results and the Liberal Democrats' performance has been patchy.

Labour lost all its county councillors in Harlow in Essex where Jeremy Corbyn was on the campaign trail just a week ago.

The new town has had a Conservative MP since 2010 but it has been a marginal constituency.

Labour also lost ground in Stevenage where it also have a General Election target seat.

Labour lost all its county council seats in Harlow where Jeremy Corbyn has been on the campaign trail. Credit: Stefan Rousseau/PA Wire

Counting will begin on Friday morning in Cambridgeshire, Norfolk and Suffolk while the votes in Northamptonshire will be totted up during the afternoon.

Cambridgeshire and Peterborough will also find out on Friday afternoon who their new elected Mayor is.

Seven candidates have been battling to become the county's first devolved Mayor with extra powers over transport, housing and investment.