The Tories swept to their best-ever result in a Leicestershire local election as the BNP won their first seat on the county council.

Conservatives took 44.3% of the vote winning 36 seats at County Hall yesterday.

The results give the Tories six more councillors than in 2005, and a majority of 17 seats.

Labour had a miserable day winning just 15.5% of the vote – down more than 10% on 2005. The party lost nine of its 13 seats.

Nationally, the picture was just as bleak for Labour, who no longer hold any county councils in England.

Leicestershire's leader of the Labour group Matthew O'Callaghan was one of the high-profile names to go.

He said that his party's ailing reputation nationally cost him his Melton North seat, along with many others across the country.

Its most high-profile defeat was in Coalville to the BNP, whose backing increased to 12.1% of the vote. It was just 1% four years ago.

The Liberal Democrats won 27.1% of the vote to make them the new opposition party at County Hall. They increased their number of seats from 11 to 14, with significant wins in Burbage, Wigston and Warren Hills, North West Leicestershire.

Victorious Tory leader Councillor David Parsons said: "This is a tremendous result, better than expected in what has been a very difficult national backdrop.

"We have won more seats and increased our majority when many people on the doorstep have wanted to talk about national issues, so I am proud of what we have achieved."

In a day of successes for the Tories, they took seats from Labour in Loughborough, Melton, Earl Shilton and Shepshed, and from the Lib Dems in Market Harborough.

The turnout was well below the 63% recorded in 2005, at around 39%.

However, 2005 was also a general election year and turnout figures tend to be higher for the national vote.

The turnout in areas around the proposed Pennbury eco-town, south of Leicester, was slightly higher with figures of around 50%.