REFORM UK’s Leigh Jayne Challis has taken the Coleford seat on Gloucestershire County Council – polling nearly twice the votes of the sitting Tory.

Ms Challis received 1,002 votes, some 36 per cent of the 2,815 cast.

Carole Allaway-Martin of the Conservatives received 535 votes which was 19 per cent, a drop of a quarter compared with the 2021 election.

David Wheeler of the Greens polled 440 votes, 16 per cent.

Independent Ian Whitburn received 314 votes which was 11 per cent.

Ruth Hampson-Kyne polled 264 for Labour with Chloe Rees of the Liberal Democrats four votes behind on 260.

Both took around nine per cent of the vote.

The turnout among the 8,761 voters was 32 per cent.