BARNOLDSWICK bucked the national trend when two Liberal Democrats in the town won seats on Pendle Borough Council.

On a day when the Lib Dems lost 49 MPs across the country, new councillor Richard Milner swept to victory in the Craven ward, unseating holder Jennifer Purcell (Cons) by more than 300 votes.

He polled to 1,233 votes to Mrs Purcell's 909. Labour's Alan Newbould had 389 votes and Green Party candidate Jane Wood received 193 votes. Voter turnout in the ward was 68.45 per cent.

In the Coates ward, Lib Dem Claire Teall, who won a by-election in 2013, retained her seat by beating her nearest challenger, Harry Purcell (Cons), by more than 200 votes.

She received 1,170 votes, compared to 965 for her Tory opponent, Mrs Purcell's husband and a long-time shop owner in Barnoldswick. UKIP candidate Dorothy Baxter had 377 votes, while Yvonne Tennant (Lab) and Ian Barnett (Green) received 275 and 82 votes, respectively. Voter turnout in the ward was 66.43 per cent.

Cllr Milner, who runs Chubby's Chippy and was a founder member of Barnoldswick rugby league team West Craven Warriors, said "sheer hard work" helped the Liberal Democrats win

"We felt we were the hard-working team in Barnoldswick," said Cllr Milner, who co-chairs Barnoldswick’s Town Centre Action Group, which helped the town win the Great British High Street award in 2014. "I want to carry on with that success and work hard for Barnoldswick and the area."

Victories by Cllrs Milner and Teall will see the Liberal Democrats regain control of West Craven Area Committee, which will now feature five Lib Dems and four Conservatives.

There was also one seat in Earby ward up for election, which long-time councillor Morris Horsfield easily retained with a majority of over 900 votes. He received a massive 1,691 votes, compared to his nearest challenger, Hannah Wilkinson (Lab), who finished on 772 votes.

UKIP candidate Edward Johnson polled 618 votes and Liberal Democrat Ian Lyons finished on 265. Voter turnout in the Earby ward was 70.34 per cent.

The only contested town and parish council elections in West Craven was the Coates ward in Barnoldswick, which saw Liberal Democrats win all seven seats up for election.

Winning candidates included the current Barnoldswick Town Council chairman Claire Teall, who received 1,596 votes. The other six candidates elected and their votes were Marjorie Adams (1,450), Lindsay Gaskell (1,288), Julie Allott (1,154), Anthony Lancaster (1,125), Emma West (1,083) and Cassandra Merrett (913).

The only other party to put up a candidate was the Greens, who fielded Shaun Nixon, who just missed out with 889 votes. Voter turnout was 64.64 per cent.

Richard Milner, who was among seven Liberal Democrats elected in Barnoldswick's uncontested Craven ward, said: "No other party, apart from the Greens, were prepared to fight for the town, and I think that's where the Conservatives went wrong."