by Jamie Stephens

Thanet council was left on a knife-edge today as a tight election saw one ward secured by just two votes.

The ruling Conservatives won the most seats by the narrowest of margins - 27 to Labour's 26.

But, despite Labour having cause to smile after capturing six, no party has won overall control.

It means the balance of power is likely to be left in the hands of three independent candidates elected to the council.

The Tories' wafer-thin lead was secured at the Beacon Road ward count where they clung on by their fingernails to win by a staggeringly small margin of two votes.

Conservative Leader Bob Bayford was left disappointed but not disheartened as his party lost five.

He said: "Given the national trend I think we got a good result - we’re still the largest party here."

"I think the people of Thanet recognised our value and the good work we’ve done over the last eight years.

"So to that extent we've done very well."

Thanet's Labour leader Clive Hart was more upbeat at 8am.

He said: "I’m very pleased with not just how we’ve done tonight, but also the reception we received on the doorsteps of households around the area."

He claimed the result was down to a combination of a backlash against the coalition's spending cuts and perceived underperformance locally.

"People are fed up with the way the Tory-led government are running the country and they're fed up with how this lot are running the council locally.

"Tory losses here have been an expression of failures in Thanet and on a national level."