THE Conservatives held on to all four county council wards in the West Devon area at last week's elections. But Tory campaigners will be looking nervously over their shoulder at UKIP — the anti-EU party firmly stamped its presence on the local political stage by taking the runners-up spot in each ward.

It was a showing acknowledged by Conservative James McInnes, who held the Hatherleigh and Chagford ward.

He said UKIP had worked hard for their vote and he respected them for that, but there was a message to be heeded: 'I hope the Government in London will listen because on the doorstep there is a disconnect between national government and the people and that has to be resolved.'

Cllr McInnes said the election of Conservatives in the wards was due to the fact that as county councillors they had worked hard for their communities.

'It's an honour to be elected for another four years,' he said, adding that the county council's priority would be to continue to 'manage the financial reductions and continue to give good services for the people of Devon'.

Fellow Tory Kevin Ball took over the Okehampton Rural ward previously held by fellow Conservative Christine Marsh, whom he described as 'a tough act to follow'.

'She has been a hard working and well liked county councillor and I know I will have to work hard to represent the people of Okehampton Rural as well as she did — but it is an honour and a privilege to have been elected.'

He acknowledged that UKIP fought a strong fight: 'Daniel Pledger is a nice guy — what was good was that the election was good and clean.'

Leading West Devon UKIP member Geoge Mudge said the county elections had changed the British political scene forever: 'UKIP will not be perceived as a protest vote and in next year's European elections the party will top the poll and get most MEPs.'

Mr Mudge said the UKIP votes in West Devon came from across the spectrum, but he believed a lot of them had come from the Liberal Democrats as well as from the Conservatives.

It was not a good night for the Liberal Democrats. The party that since 1997 has twice controlled Devon County Council, lost support in the West Devon area and in Okehampton Rural it was beaten into third place by Labour's Terry Cummings, who like Kevin Ball and Daniel Pledger, is a member of the town council.

l The Conservatives retained overall control of Devon County Council. They now hold 38 of the 62 seats available, a net fall of three seats on 2009.

The Liberal Democrats hold nine seats — a net fall of four —seats) after gaining two seats but losing six others.

Labour gained two seats in Exeter to take their numbers at County Hall to seven.

UKIP gained four seats on the council for the first time, the Green Party took one seat in Totnes, while Independent candidates took three seats.