Labour have taken control of Great Yarmouth in a dramatic election night.

A third of the 39 seats on the Conservative-controlled council were up for grabs, with the make-up of the council 22 Conservatives, 16 Labour and one independent before the results today.

But in a dramatic night, which saw council leader Steve Ames lose his seat, the night ended with Labour on 21 and the Conservatives reduced to 18.

The first of the results came through just after 11.15pm, with Labour’s Penelope Linden and Marlene Fairhead triumphing in Southtown and Cobholm and St Andrews, respectively.

The Conservatives have held Gorleston through Bertie Collins, but there were less than 50 votes between him and UKIP challenger Matthew Smith.

Mr Collins’s Tory colleague Paul Garrod did not manage to retain Yarmouth North, which was snatched by Labour’s Colin Fox, who beat him by 72 votes.

Lee Sutton gained Central and Northgate for Labour, with incumbent Independent Mike Taylor not seeking re-election.

Labour then made another two gains at the expense of the Conservatives. Jamie Smith took Bradwell North and Sylvia Platt stormed to victory in Magdalen.

The current leader Steve Ames lost his Bradwell South and Hopton seat to Labour’s Hilary Wainwright, by just over 100 votes.

Mrs Wainwright, whose husband Trevor is the Labour group leader, said: “I can’t believe it, I am in shock. I am really pleased because we needed this seat.

“I will do my best to become the best councillor I can be. I will always be at the end of the phone. If people come to me with a problem I will do my best to see it through.”

Tony Blyth kept Claydon for Labour and Michael Jeal did likewise in Nelson, while Conservatives George Jermany, Charles Reynolds and Barry Coleman kept East Flegg, Ormesby and West Flegg blue.

In Norwich, Labour took overall control of Norwich City Council after previously running it as a minority administration.

Nationwide, where about 5,000 seats are at stake at 181 councils, the coalition parties had a rough ride.

But Prime Minister David Cameron will be hoping that Boris Johnson can buck the trend by securing re-election as London Mayor.

An eve-of-poll survey for the Evening Standard suggested that Mr Johnson - who gave a confident thumbs-up as he arrived to cast his ballot in north London on Thursday morning - is set for victory over Labour’s Ken Livingstone, by a margin of 53pc to 47pc.

While two thirds of the local election results nationally are expected in the early hours of this morning (Friday), the final decision of Londoners on who will be their mayor is not likely to be known this evening.

RESULTS

Key: Conservatives - C; Labour - Lab; Lib Dem - LD; Green - G; UK Independence Party - UKIP; Independent - Ind.

Star denotes sitting councillor.

Bradwell North

Alexander Dougal (UKIP) 346

Carl Smith (C) 550

JAMIE SMITH (Lab) 647

Lab gain from C - Maj 97

Bradwell South and Hopton

* Steve Ames (C) 545

John Brookshaw (Ind) 94

Alexander Monk (UKIP) 316

HILARY WAINWRIGHT (L) 649

Lab gain from C - Maj 104

Central and Northgate

Gordon Dean (LD) 36

Thomas Garrod (C) 317

John Holt (UKIP) 295

LEE SUTTON (Lab) 750

Lab gain from IND - Maj 433

Claydon

* TONY BLYTH (L) 824

Ashley Bullard (C) 327

Liam Probert (UKIP) 302

Lab hold - Maj 497

East Flegg

* GEORGE JERMANY (C) 540

Matthew McDonnell (United Peoples’ Party) 59

Rex Parkinson-Hare (UKIP) 230

Christine Williamson (L) 366

Cons hold - Maj 174

Gorleston

* BERTIE COLLINS (C) 498

Peter Fairhead (Lab) 374

Matthew Smith, (UKIP) 450

C hold - Maj 48

Magdalen:

Michael Monk (UKIP) 284

* Pat Page (C) 363

SYLVIA PLATT (Lab) 825

Lab gain from C - Maj 462

Nelson:

Margaret Greenacre (C) 210

* MICHAEL JEAL (Lab) 687

Michael Wilde (UKIP) 254

Lab hold - Maj 433

Ormesby

Jack Cutting (UKIP) 326

Maurice Johnson (L) 275

* CHARLES REYNOLDS (C) 577

C hold - Maj 251

Southtown and Cobholm:

Colin Aldred (UKIP) 183

Brian Dolton (C) 88

Nicholas Dyer (LD) 36

* PENELOPE LINDEN, (Lab) 399

Lab hold - Maj 216

St Andrews:

* MARLENE FAIRHEAD (Lab) 539

Robert Scott, (UKIP) 194

Bryan Watts (C) 250

Lab hold - Maj 345

West Flegg:

* BARRY COLEMAN (C) 684

Katie Jeavons-Golding (L) 343

Paul Toplass (UKIP) 203

C hold - Maj 341

Yarmouth North:

Jonathan Childs (UKIP) 232

COLIN FOX (Lab) 493

* Paul Garrod (C) 421

Anthony Harris (LD) 46

Joshua White (G) 46

Lab gain from C - Maj 72