LABOUR topped the poll for the European Elections in Warrington.
But the party polled just 1,001 more votes than a buoyant UKIP.
The Conservatives were third while the Liberal Democrats were a distant fourth, ahead of the Greens.
It was a similar result across the north west, with Labour edging UKIP.
Both parties will have three MEPs and the Tories two.
Long standing Lib Dem MEP Chris Davies lost his seat. BNP leader Nick Griffin was also booted out.
The count was held on Sunday to tie in with Europe after the local election results on Friday.
The turnout was 32.64 per cent.
Despite topping the poll, it was as worrying a night for Labour as it was the Conservatives with a General Election just one year away.
An insider told the Warrington Guardian there was concern within the Labour party locally about the number of UKIP votes in the inner wards of the town where the party would usually dominate.
The results in full in Warrington:
Labour 16237
Ukip 15236
Conservatives 10782
Liberal Democrats 3898
Green Party 2875
An Independence from Europe 735
BNP 685
English democrats 628
Pirate Party 369
No2EU 121
Socialist Equity Party 111
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel