FARNHAM Conservatives survived a strong challenge from the UK Independence Party (UKIP) in the local elections last week, as all available council seats across Farnham remained Tory blue.

The Conservatives' majority was slashed in all four of the town's Surrey County Council divisions – Farnham North, Central, South and Waverley Western Villages – as UKIP made its mark in the area.

But unlike in many areas across the country, Farnham's Conservatives were able to hold back the UKIP surge and help their party retain overall control of Surrey County Council.

At the last county election in 2009, the Conservatives took 9,991 votes (59 per cent of the total ballots) across Farnham as UKIP's solitary candidate in the town, Bob Nockels, finished third in Farnham Central with just 572 votes.

But last week UKIP increased its total number of votes across the area to 2,894 (22 per cent of the total ballots) compared to the Tories' 5,597 (44 per cent).

For full story and round-up of the election results, see this week's Farnham Herald.