THE UK Independence Party has seized a second European Parliament seat in the south west as they enjoyed gains nationwide at last week's Euro elections.

The anti-European Union party almost trebled its vote in the region as it snatched one of the Conservatives' four seats, sending Labour into fourth position.

Across the 10 regional seats of England and Wales, UKIP quadrupled its tally of MEPs to 12 and collected 17 per cent of the vote, leaving the Liberal Democrats in fourth position nationally.

Re-elected UKIP member for the south west, Graham Booth, said: "The people have spoken. They have come out with a vengeance, saying they do not want to be in the EU.

"We have offered them a way out, for Britain to leave the EU and run its own affairs and they have voted for us in their thousands."

Roger Knapman was the newly elected UKIP MEP for the south west as he took Conservative MEP Alexander Stockton's seat.

Although the anti-European British National Party did not win any seats in the county their number of votes increased fourfold.

The Tories now have three MEPs in the south west and 25 in total, UKIP have two in the region and 12 in total, Labour and the Lib Dems have one apiece in the south west and nationally have 17 and 11 respectively.