TORY leader Clr Keith Bland says he was ‘gobsmacked’ by Labour success in the local elections.

Clr Bland (Culcheth, Glazebury and Croft) said before the elections, he had been hoping his party could pick up his seats.

But they actually lost one seat, Penketh held by Fiona Bruce before she stepped down to take the parliamentary seat in Congleton, to Labour.

Clr Bland, deputy leader, said: “I believe the turnout affected it (the result) and to be honest I was gobsmacked. It has completely bucked the trend and is hard to analyse.”