A SEA of red tops and ties crowded around the podium and erupted into cries of triumph when the results came in for Trafford's local election results in the early hours of this morning.

It was a night of triumph for Labour as they gained three seats from the Conservatives, whilst the Tories managed only to gain one seat (Village) from the Liberal Democrats.

Jayne Dillon confidently took Davyhume East for Labour, with 2,205 votes to Conservative Cllr Mike Cornes' 1,388.

Davyhume West went to Labour's Graham Witham with 2,030 votes to Conservative candidate Christine Turner's 1,403.

Labour sealed the night with a hatrick of hard-fought victories by taking the bitterly contested Flixton seat, with candidate Simon Thomas polling 2,732 votes to Conservative councillor Viv Ward's 1,528.

All three seats were won by Labour with generous margins but the atmosphere before the results came in was one of quiet confidence.

Labour Leader for Trafford, Andrew Western, appeared more relieved than jubilant when it was clear Labour had wrested council control from the Conservatives for the first time in fourteen years.

The night is undoubtedly a victory for Labour but Mr Western acknowledged that the party hadn't won overall control over the council.

Mr Western said: "We achieved what we set out to do. We took Flixton, we took Davyhulme East and West. It's obvious the tide is changing and the people of Trafford no longer trust that the Conservatives will deliver. But we still have work to do."

Conservative Council Leader Sean Anstee looked disconsolate at the end of the night as he made a quick exit before the glare of the nation's media.