UNTIL recently, Derwentside was considered rock solid Labour country, but opposition candidates went into yesterday's election believing they had a realistic hope of significant gains.

In the 2005 county election, Labour won nine of the seats in Derwentside, while the independents held two - Burnopfield and Dipton, and Leadgate and Medomsley.

However, the opposition hope to build on their breakthrough at last year's district council elections, when Labour's overwhelming majority was cut from 21 seats to only three.

The independents say they are running Labour close in at least half of the 22 seats up for grabs, and have particular hopes of making gains in Annfield Plain and Benfieldside. They are also targeting Delves Lane and Consett South, where highprofile businessman Bob Young is defending an 800-vote majority for Labour, but the opposition vote looks likely be split between the four independent candidates, one Lib Dem and one Conservative.

For Labour, three members of the cabinet are defending what should be safe seats.

Clive Robson, the deputy leader of the county council, is defending a Labour majority of more than 1,100 in Consett North, which is, nevertheless, a Lib Dem target.

In Stanley, Claire Vasey, the cabinet member for children and young people's services, is defending a majority of more than 1,500, while Michele Hodgson, cabinet member for corporate services, has only a slightly smaller majority in Annfield Plain.

The Lib Dems won two seats on the district council at last year's election and a third in a by-election last month.

They now hope to win their first Derwentside seat on the county council and are targeting Annfield Plain, Benfieldside, Burnopfield and Dipton, and Esh, where Fraser Reynolds, the Lib Dem leader of Durham City Council since 2003, is standing.

Voters also went to the polls yesterday to elect the first members of Stanley Town Council, established after a long-running campaign in the town.