Ukip celebrated great gains at tonight’s local election, as they swept into joint first place with the Conservatives.

Thurrock Council is in “no overall control” as no one party has a clear majority, and both Ukip and the Conservatives are tied at 17 seats each out of the total of 49.

The biggest losers of the night were Thurrock Labour, who tumbled from 18 seats to third place on the council at 14 seats.

In contrast, Ukippers’ gain of four seats mean that the eurosceptic party has snuck ahead of Labour on Thurrock Council for the first time in Thurrock history.

Whilst the Conservatives showed no change in their number of seats from before the election, in total Ukip seized three Labour seats.

The kippers also took one Conservative seat and two Independent seats, taking their former third place from 13 seats to 17.

Labour wept as Ukip made further gains on last year’s bloodbath, when Ukip took seven of the 16 seats up for grabs – five from Labour.

Due to the ‘strong leader’ system, John Kent will remain Council Leader for at least the next three years, unless he is voted out by a special motion.

Ukip leader Graham Snell celebrated the news. He said: “We’re really happy. We thought we had a good solid five seats but this is fantastic.

“We’re really happy with the result and it’s been a good night for us. We’ll have to wait to see what will come next.

“I’m not in favour of coalitions but who knows. I’m sure there’ll be a fair amount of horse-trading before the full council.

“Ideally, the council must run efficiently and effectively so we’ll do our very best to do that.”

Conservative leader Rob Gledhill said the outcome was “interesting” but that he was not going to say yet whether he was open to a coalition or not.

He said: “It’s an interesting outcome for the night. The people have spoken and they don’t want a Labour-run council.

“We are fighting seats as well as trying to defend seats. The next few days and possibly even weeks there will be negotiations to thrash out not only what is democratically right, but right for Thurrock.”

Labour Leader John Kent also hailed the results as “interesting” and said things at the council “would not be the same.”

He added it was important the council “worked together” in his thank-you speech after maintaining his councillor seat in his new ward of Grays Thurrock.

Full list of election results below, ward-by-ward

*Aveley and Uplands (Ind) means previously held by an Independent candidate.

* poll: turnout

Aveley and Uplands (Ind)

L Spillman (Ukip) 1,011

J Pothecary (Lab) 449

G Polley (C) 392

% poll: 27.45

South Chafford (C)

S MacPherson (C) 587

Q Abbas (Lab) 510

T Snell (Ukip) 184

% poll: 28.06

Corringham and Fobbing (C)

A Watkins (C) 753

N Speight (Ukip) 507

V Offord (Lab) 339

% poll: 36.86

East Tilbury (Ind)

S Sammons (Ukip) 736

E Lowe (Lab) 271

P Polley (C) 379

% poll: 27.64

Grays Riverside (Lab)

T Fish (Lab) 857

M Carberry (Ukip)

748 Evelina Vulpe (C) 379

% poll: 27.15

Grays Thurrock (Lab)

J Kent (Lab) 1,022

A Mayes (Ukip) 809

M Macadangdang (C) 278

T Davis (Ind) 100

% poll: 34.93%

Little Thurrock Blackshots (C)

Joy Redsell (C) 706

J Coleman (Ukip) 705

J Dobson (Lab) 287

% poll: 35.85

Ockendon (C)

D Potter (Ukip) 1,035

B Johnson (C) 634

D Martins (Lab) 558

% poll: 38.1

Orsett (C)

S Little (C) 1,057

P Curtis (Ukip) 634

C Morris (Lab) 253

% poll: 40.42

Stanford East and Corringham Town (Lab)

J Duffin (Ukip) 1,107

T Hipsey (Lab) 611

S Smith (C) 499

% poll: 35

Stanford-le-Hope West (Lab)

T Piccolo (C) 613

L Lloyd (Ukip) 427

D Hann (Lab) 393

% poll: 31

The Homesteads (C)

G Collins (C) 908

C Broad (Ukip) 685

M Fletcher (Lab) 469

G Byrne (Ind) 295

% poll: 36

West Thurrock and South Stifford (Lab)

O Gerrish (Lab) 984

T Coughlin (C) 308

J Stephens (Ukip) 500

% poll: 23.76

Chadwell St Mary (Lab)

G Rice (Lab) 1,017

M Torri (Ukip) 968

L Dove (C) 232

% poll: 28.24

Chafford and North Stifford (C)

G Hague (C) 672

U Kankiya (Lab) 493

J Mower (Ukip) 318

% poll: 28.02

Tilbury St Chads (Lab)

J Allen (Ukip) 606

L Worrall (Lab) 570

A Carter (Cons) 89

% poll: 39.86

Belhus (Lab)

A Sheridan (Ukip) 939

S Gray (Lab) 648

J Biddall (Cons) 305

% poll: 28.24