Labour candidate Rebecca Butler has won the Cowley Hill by-election in Borehamwood.

It means that the Labour Party have gained a seat from the Conservatives.

Mrs Butler came out on top winning 709 votes.

She beat fellow candidates Sean Moore, who was representing the Conservatives, David Hoy from UKIP, Liberal Democrat Paul Robinson, and Green Party candidate Nicholas Winston.

Mr Moore recieved 381 votes, Mr Hoy 57, Mr Robinson 20 and Mr Winston 18.

There was a 7.4pc swing from Conservative to Labour since the last election in 2015.

Turnout was low in the ward, with only 19.2 per cent eligible casting their vote.

Mrs Butler becomes the fourth Labour councillor in Borehamwood and third in Cowley Hill joining her husband, Richard Butler, and Michelle Vince as well as Jeremy Newmark who holds a seat in Borehamwood Kenilworth ward.

Following the result, Mrs Butler told the Times: "I'm so grateful and thrilled to win. I felt that when we were campaigning, we were really in touch with the residents.

"It feels good to represent where I live and this result gives Labour a good platform looking forward to the local elections next year."

Mrs Butler will begin her role in Borehamwood alongside running as a councillor in East Barnet. She will not be standing at the local elections in Barnet in May.

She told the Borehamwood Times during her campaign that she would “protect local shops under attack and fight against inappropriate developments whilst seeking to provide new infrastructure and genuinely affordable housing for local families”.

The by-election, the first election in the UK in 2018, was triggered after David Burcombe was forced to resign from his role as councillor in November after he lost his appeal against a conviction for sexual assault.

Mr Burcombe had represented the Conservatives, after winning the seat in Cowley Hill in 2015, but ran as an Independent councillor after leaving the Tory party in January 2016.

In July 2016, he was found guilty of one count of sexual assualt, following the incident that occurred in September the previous year.

FULL RESULTS (ward was three member in 2015)

Labour 59.8pc (+3.4)

Conservative 32.2pc (-11.5)

UKIP 4.8pc (+4.8)

Liberal Democrat 1.7pc (+1.7)

Green 1.5pc (+1.5)