A PIVOTAL second recount failed to decide the final make-up of Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council.

The vote for the Skelton ward had to be counted three times as Labour sought the three remaining seats to secure an overall majority as the other parties had a combined total of 29 seats.

A decision was made at 6.30pm to abandon the recount until Monday morning when a fourth count will take place.

Two the biggest casualties of the election were former council leader George Dunning and his deputy Sheelagh Clarke who lost their seats on the Teesville ward after standing as independents in the wake of a huge fall out with the Labour party.

The Labour party lost control of the council in September when ten members resigned following an internal dispute after several senior councillors failed to win the chance to defend their seats.

Taking the defeat in good grace, Mr Dunning said: “I’m not devastated – I only stood because Sheelagh wanted to and wanted to show loyalty to her. There was no way that I was going to let Labour throw us out and that didn’t happen. It was the people of Teesville who voted us out and that’s what democracy is all about.”

UKIP took its first ever seat on the council when Steve Turner polled the third highest tally in the Longbeck ward.

Among the other ex-Labour members who stood as Independents were Mark Hannon, Olwyn Peters, Steve Goldswain and Carole Simms, who all lost their seats.

It became a family affair for Lynn Pallister who won her seat in the Grangetown ward alongside her daughter Jade Stainthorpe. A second daughter, Leanne Reed, made it a family hat-trick when she was elected to stand in the Teesville ward.