The Residents' Association has won a landslide election victory on a day that saw the Conservative party lose its charismatic leader.

The RA increased their number of councillors by one in the Epsom and Ewell council election to 26, as both the Lib Dems and Conservatives lost seats.

Reflecting the national trend, the Lib Dem vote collapsed as they saw their number of seats fall from 10 to six.

Labour members were left rejoicing however as they upped their number of councillors in Town Hall from one to three.

But the shock result of the night was the demise of Conservative leader Sean Sullivan who was defeated in Woodcote, even though he increased his overall vote.

Speaking after the count, Mr Sullivan thanked his supporters and said he was very proud to have served.

He said: "I am very proud to have represented my constituents and wish the Conservative members all the best.

"I was defeated even though I won a larger number of votes than last time with 894 overall.

"Many councillors have been elected on less, so I am disappointed."

After the majority was declared, jubilant RA leader, Councillor Clive Woodbridge, took to the stage in the main atrium of the Epsom Downs Racecourse to praise the achievement of his party.

He said: "As the borough of Epsom and Ewell celebrates its 75th anniversary it is rather humbling that we have been the majority party in the council for all that time.

"The electorate have shown a lot of confidence in the party and I am very grateful for their votes.

"We are going to have to make some difficult decisions over the next four years, but it is also an exciting time and we will make sure we work with our residents."

It was something of a family affair for the RA as Neil Dallen and his two children, first time candidates Paul and Lucie, were elected along with new members Chris Frost and his wife Liz.

Despite initial reports that the count would continue into the night, the vote was declared by 4.30pm.

The overall turnout for the election was down by 1 per cent to 46 per cent - although College Ward recorded an impressive 59 per cent.

Lib Dem leader Councillor Julie Morris, who held her College ward seat along with Lib Dem councillors Anna Jones and Christine Key blamed their poor result on the backlash against the national party.

Councillor Jones commented: "We are delighted with the result in College ward where we have worked very hard.

"It is a real shame that we have lost a number of hard working councillors but the national picture was such that the result was inevitable."

The referendum vote is still awaited, but sources suggest that it is likely to be an overwhelming no in Epsom and Ewell.