IT IS, of course, a verity that when you are at rock bottom, the only way is up.

Thus, the Tories' modest gains nationally in the council elections - obtained against a background of Labour-voter apathy that was, as we predicted, bound to help them - need to be looked at in that light.

For though they can rightly see the first signs of recovery in these results, how they would fare in a full-blooded fight is quite another matter.

But, here in East Lancashire, despite the evident and telling effect of complacency among Labour supporters, there was perhaps a more critical force at work as, overall, the Conservative staged a comeback that, particularly in a couple of councils, was significant.

Labour, of course, still rules in Burnley, Hyndburn and Rossendale and the Liberal Democrats remain in control at Pendle.

But, apart from the lack of drama last night at Pendle, elsewhere Labour seem to have copped not only for their supporters' complacency, but for the party's domineering attitude in local government.

At Burnley, against a bizarre backdrop of schism and internal warfare within the ruling Labour group, the party lost four seats. At Rossendale, six seats and some big names were knocked off by the Tories.

But at Hyndburn, the trend was much magnified and the annoyance with Labour eloquently expressed as the Tories grabbed 10 out of the 17 seats contested.

What had got up the voters' noses so much that the formerly floored Tories could get up off the canvas and give Labour such a painful wallop?

If council leader George Slynn has any gumption, he will read beyond the influence of apathy on these results and see voters hitting back over unpopular measures that his dominant Labour group has been pushing with disdainful disregard for people's protests - such as the overkill on traffic-calming in Hyndburn and the proposals for parking charges.

And, though his council had no elections yesterday, Malcolm Doherty, leader of Labour-dominated Blackburn with Darwen, currently beset by accusations that it is run by the diktat of a tiny caucus, might observe, too, that the voters will only stand so much bossing about.

There was, then, a clear warning to be read by Labour last night in the Tories' revival - not so much that they are starting a comeback, but that the voters do not trust politicians with too much rope.

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