The Conservatives have held onto both former Mayor George Bunting’s town and district seats.

The Tories’ Helen Barker saw off a Ukip challenge and won with 385 votes in the Folkestone Harvey West Shepway district seat.

The party’s Christian Bones won the Folkestone town seat with 348 votes, again keeping Ukip second.

Both yesterday’s by-elections followed the death of Cllr Bunting from cancer in August.

Ukip, which won a district seat from the Conservatives last month, this time came second with candidate Stephen Jardine gaining 293 votes.

Liberal Democrat Hugh Roberson-Ritchie came a close third with 262 votes while Jasmine Heywood of the Greens had only 61 votes and Nicola Keen of Labour came bottom of the pile with 57.

In the town result Ukip’s Mr Thomas gained 281 votes, while Lib Dem Mr Robertson-Ritchie got 258, Labour’s Dylan Jeffrey came fourth with 94 and this time it was the Greens at the bottom with Ms Heywood gaining 63.

The result means Ukip failed to get a third district councillor after David Callahan had won a place at Folkestone Harvey Central from the Conservatives in September.

The district’s first Ukip councillor was Terence Mullard, of Dymchurch and St Mary’s Bay, who defected from the Conservatives last November.