The Conservatives retained the Blacko and Higherford ward on Pendle Council with a comfortable majority in yesterday’s by-election.
Their candidate, Noel McEvoy, polled 370 votes – more than twice the number gained by the other three candidates combined.
The UK Independence Party candidate, Michael Waddington, came second with 86 votes, Labour’s Robert Oliver was third with 65 and Darren Reynolds, for the Liberal Democrats, came fourth and last with 34 votes.
There was a 38.5 per cent turn out for the election, brought about by the enforced suspension of former councillor Shelagh Derwent.
The result leaves the Conservatives with 19 councillors, Labour with 17, the Lib Dems 12 and the British National Party one.
At next month’s elections, the Tories and Lib Dems will each defend five seats, Labour six and the BNP one.