JAKE Berry has retained the Rossendale and Darwen seat for the Conservatives.

Mr Berry beat Labour's Will Straw into second place to take the seat.

Mr Berry, MP since 2010, polled 22,847 votes to Mr Straw's 17,193 to the delight of a vocal Tory crowd.

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The Liberal Democrats vote however plummeted from 8,541 five years ago to just 806, paving the way for UKIP's Clive Balchin to secure a comfortable third.

Mr Berry said: "It has been a huge privilege to serve as an MP and I feel quite humbled to be elected to serve Rossendale and Darwen once again.

Lancashire Telegraph:

Defeated Labour hopeful Mr Straw, son of long-serving former Blackburn MP Jack, departed Haslingden Sports Centre rapidly after the result was declared at 4.40am.

He said: "It has been a fantastic experience. I'm humbled by the fact that the Labour vote has increased but obviously disappointed at the result.

Liberal Democrat candidate Afzal Anwar was nowhere to be seen at the count and his party's vote crumbled.

Karen Pollard-Rylance came fourth for the Greens, followed by the Lib Dems, independent Kevin Scranage, Simon Thomas of the Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition, and The Northern Party's Shaun Hargreaves.

The turnout was 67 per cent, up from 64.6 per cent in 2010.

 

Jake Berry Conservative 22,847
Will Straw Labour 17,193
Clive Balchin UK Independence Party 6,862
Karen Pollard-Rylance Green 1,046
Afzal Anwar Liberal Democrat 806
Kevin Scranage Independent 122
Simon Thomas Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition 103
Shaun Hargreaves Northern Party 45


MAJORITY
5,654
(11.5%)


TURNOUT
58.4%

 

See all the action from the counts in our General Election Gallery http://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/photos/2015_photos/general_election_2015_results/