LABOUR'S grip on the town hall has loosened slightly after an action-packed afternoon at the local election count.

The ruling party's Bury members were initially jumping for joy after gaining a seat from an independent.

But their one step forward quickly turned to two steps back as they dramatically lost a seat to the Conservatives and then another - to the shock of many - to the Lib Dems.

That means Labour now has 35 councillors occupying the council chamber, while the Tories have 12 and the Lib Dems have two. There are also two independents.

Bury Council leader, Cllr Mike Connolly, of Labour, said he was disappointed that his party lost two seats but he felt Bury Labour had performed well overall - holding nine seats - considering the nationwide picture.

Bury Lib Dem leader Cllr Tim Pickstone said he was delighted to have doubled the number of councillors his party has in the borough and that he hoped it would mean Labour's decisions can be scrutinised more closely.

The afternoon left Bury Conservative leader, Cllr Iain Gartside, delighted, as his party successfully defended all five of their seats - and he and his party colleagues will no doubt be thrilled by the return of Prime Minister David Cameron to Downing Street.

However, Cllr Connolly expressed concern that the national Tory victory could spell bad news for Bury.