MIKE Bawden last night won the backing of his party to continue leading the Conservatives in Swindon.

On Thursday night Swindonians gave the Tories their vote, affording the party overall control of the council for the first time in 25 years.

The Tories, who needed just one extra seat for an overall majority, took three seats from Labour and one from the Liberal Democrats.

Labour leader Kevin Small, whose party had a bad night on Thursday, will find out whether his group will stick with him at the helm at a private meeting at 7pm on Monday evening.

And Lib Dem leader Mike Evemy will meet with his fellow councillors on the same evening at 6pm to find out his future.

The first sign of a Tory triumph came at 1.20am yesterday, when Conservative challenger Dale Heenan won Covingham and Nythe a seat held since 1992 by outgoing Labour Mayor Derek Benfield.

It was the first of four Conservative gains Moredon, Freshbrook and Grange Park, and St Philip followed.

The 32.4 per cent of the electorate which turned out was a better show than last year, when only 29.8 per cent voted.

The result for the European elections, also held on Thursday, will be released tomorrow.

The UK's 78 seats, which are divided into 12 regional constituencies, are all up for grabs. Swindon belongs to the South West region, which has seven seats and an electorate of 3,845,253.

Geographically it stretches 260 miles from Lands End to the village of Mickelton in North Gloucestershire.