Mike Bull became the Canterbury district’s first ever UKIP city councillor last night after a stunning victory at the Seasalter by-election.

The 67-year-old is Canterbury City Council’s newest member after winning 644 votes – 122 more than his nearest challenger and pre-election favourite Annette Stein, for the Tories.

Labour’s Rachel Goodwin picked up 307 votes, followed by Keith Hooker with 147 for the Lib Dems and Russell Page, who polled 54 votes standing for the Green Party.

With a low turn-out of just 26.1%, the count took just 90 minutes after voting closed at 10pm.

Mr Bull, of Spire Avenue, Whitstable, will now join Conservatives Jean Law and Louise Morgan representing Seasalter ward.

He moved to Whitstable from London in 2011 and stood in the KCC elections in May this year, running Tories Mark Dance and Mike Harrison close.

He said: "It is very gratifying that the people of Seasalter have entrusted me with the responsibility to represent them and I will do that to the best of my ability.

"I can only describe the atmosphere before the count as very tense, because quite clearly it was a two-horse race between us and the Tories. I thought I had a very good chance.

I'm the first kipper, a lone kipper, which is a bit daunting, but I've been speaking to other councillors and there are a quite a view whose views are in accord with my own.

"So hopefully I can persuade a few of them to come across to UKIP."

The by-election had been called after the death of Tory city councillor Mike Sharp in July.