HEADS turned at the Wear Valley election count, as defeated candidate Norman Strongman appeared in overalls and flat cap.

Mr Strongman, who until Thursday was a Labour councillor for Coundon, was on his way to Locomotion: The National Railway Museum at Shildon, where he drives trains.

"I'm going to have a go with a new locomotive they've got at the museum," Mr Strongman said. "It'll put a smile on my face after the election, because I'm a steam fanatic."

Mr Strongman, who has been a qualified train driver for two years, left the count after hearing the result, but later returned to hear how friends and colleagues had fared.