LOCAL politicians were at odds yesterday over which party suffered the worst embarrassment in a Darlington Borough Council by-election.

Liberal Democrat Fred Lawton won the authority's vacant North Road ward seat in Thursday's vote.

He polled 789 votes, ahead of Labour's Jennifer Chapman on 571, Conservative Ian Galletley on 119, the British National Party's Nigel Nevison on 87, and David Davies, of the UK Independence Party, on 61.

The by-election followed the resignation in June of former Liberal Democrat councillor Susan Walker.

The poll result sparked conflict between the main political groups in Darlington.

Liberal Democrat chairman Mike Barker said: "We expected to win, as the Labour Party is in a bit of trouble, nationally at least.

"We found a lot of people on the doorsteps saying they would like to vote Labour, but not this time. It is a bit of a humiliation for them."

Labour council leader John Williams said: "Considering we are mid-term in the Labour Government, the Labour vote held up remarkably well. You have to remember that the Liberal Democrats have retained a council seat, not gained one.

"Most of all, this must be a bitter blow to Darlington Conservatives. In this by-election Labour gained five times as many votes as the Tories."

But Conservative leader Tony Richmond joined the Liberal Democrats in seeing the result as an embarrassment for Labour.

"The Tories have never won North Road, and John Williams would be the first to admit that there are some wards in Darlington where Labour has no chance of winning," he said.

"But I know Labour were confident of winning North Road and the fact that they didn't was a big disappointment to them."