Medway's Tories were celebrating a triumphant night as they gained all three seats in the area with thumping majorities.

The Conservatives ousted Labour ministers Jonathan Shaw in Chatham and Aylesford and Paul Clark in Gillingham and Rainham, both of whom had been elected in Tony Blair's 1997 landslide.

In Rochester and Strood, Medway councillor Mark Reckless, as predicted, swooped to victory to take the seat held by maverick Labour MP Bob Marshall Andrews, who was standing down.

Amid jubilant scenes at the count held at Medway Park, Tory candidates, agents and party supporters could not contain their glee at a clean sweep on the night, even though the results were not all declared until nearly 6am.

Rehman Chishti, also a Medway councillor, overturned Mr Clark's slender majority to take his seat in the Commons with an impressive 8,680 majority.

The new MP for Chatham and Aylesford is 35-year-old Tracey Crouch who eased home with a comfortable 6,069 in the first declaration of the evening.