Reform UK saw a massive surge in a Hampshire council as they battled with the Liberal Democrats and Conservatives in a crunch by-election.

The Yateley West ward was up for grabs after the resignation of Lib Dem Councillor Mark Vernon.

The results from yesterday’s by-election put Alex Drage from the Lib Dems on 1101 votes, with Reform UK’s Clive Lawrance on 562 votes and the Conservative Party’s Sandra Miller on 348 votes.

The turnout for the seat was 30 per cent, with three ballot papers rejected, with Sir Ed Davey’s party holding onto the seat.

The council has not had one controlling party since 2012.

Since 2017, the council has been run by a coalition of the Liberal Democrats and local party Community Campaign (Hart), led by Liberal Democrat councillor David Neighbour.

The only other party with any councillors are the Conservatives who have nine seats.

There is also an additional sole independent councillor.

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Reacting to the news, a spokesman from the Reform UK branch in North East Hampshire said: “The results are in for the Yateley West by-election.

“Although we didn’t get the result we would have liked we came a very respectable second, beating the Conservative candidate.”

On a parliamentary level, the ward is on the edge of North East Hampshire.

At last year’s General Election, the Liberal Democrat candidate Alex Brewer beat the incumbent Tory Ranil Jayawardena, who had held the seat since 2015, with a majority of just 634.