Live: Labour and Ukip suffer as Tories make big gains

• Video report by ITV News Political Correspondent Paul Brand

Ukip saw a dreadful day in the local elections - and nowhere more than in their former heartlands in Lincolnshire.

The party went from the official council opposition to being wiped off the electoral map as voters abandoned the party in droves - with most switching over to the Conservatives.

Many said that they did not like current leader Paul Nuttall - who is due to stand as an MP in the area's Boston and Skegness constituency in 2017.

Others believed that with the vote for Brexit won, Theresa May was in the best position to deliver an exit.

With some predicting that Ukip was a spent political force, others insisted that the party would return.

Victoria Ayling, a former Ukip councillor, said: "We came from nothing and we will rise from the ashes."

Nicola Sturgeon hailed Scottish local elections as an "emphatic" win for the SNP - despite significant Conservative inroads.

The SNP amassed more councillors than in the 2012 local elections, thereby remaining the largest party in local government north of the border.

But the Tories also gained 167 seats and returned a record number of councillors.

"The SNP has won the election in Scotland and won it loud and clear," Ms Sturgeon said.

"Thanks to the support of people across the country, the SNP has secured the largest number of councillors, the highest share of the vote - with an increase on the last result in 2012 and is the largest party in the most council areas."

But leader of the Scottish Conservatives Ruth Davidson said: "Today's result makes one thing crystal clear: all across Scotland, only the Scottish Conservatives have the strength to fight back against the SNP"

Jeremy Corbyn remained upbeat about Labour's performance in the local elections despite admitting it had some "very disappointing results".

So far the Labour Party has lost more than 550 councillors across the UK, while the Tories had mayors installed in Labour strongholds West Midlands and Tees Valley.

But embattled Mr Corbyn insisted his party had made gains throughout Britain.

"We have got councillors elected all over the country," he said.

"Everyone predicted we were going to lose in Cardiff, we won. Everyone said the same with Swansea, we increased our majority."

He continued: "We have had very disappointing results in other parts of the country."

And the Islington North MP said Labour Party had four weeks to "get a message out of the kind of country we could be".

Conservative Andy Street has been elected the first West Midlands metropolitan mayor beating Labour's Sion Simon in a narrow victory.

The former John Lewis boss gave up his business career last year to stand for the newly-created mayoral post.

He based much of his campaign around pledging to make a success of Brexit for the region.

Labour's Andy Burnham has been elected as the first 'metro Mayor' for Greater Manchester.

He took an easy victory, being declared the winner after the first round of voting with more than half of ballots cast for him.

Burnham, a well-known figure in the Labour party running in the party's heartlands, was always expected to win the seat.

Labour's ongoing implosion as a political party is reflected through the local election results, according to Tim Farron.

The Liberal Democrat leader said his was the only major political party other than the Conservatives with anything to "smile about" from Thursday's results - evidence it is becoming the "main opposition party".

Mr Farron predicted that the Lib Dems might be able to double their number of MPs at the June 8 General Election based on its latest performance.

""Let's not pretend that the story isn't about the implosion of the Labour Party," he said.

"They're ceasing to be the main opposition party in this country and all the indications are that on June 8 we're heading for a Conservative landslide."

Mr Farron added: "The Liberal Democrats are now your best route to prevent our country and our communities being taken for granted by a Conservative landslide."