A former Conservative council leader is returning to politics after holding one of the 14 county council seats in West Norfolk for the party.

Nick Daubney won Freebridge Lynn, seeing off Green and Labour candidates by a margin of more than 1,000 votes.

Mr Daubney spent 20 years on West Norfolk council, much of it as leader, before retiring to pursue other interests at the May 2019 local elections.

His efforts included leading the borough as it fought and successfully defeated the county's plans to build an incinerator on the outskirts of Lynn.

"I think when lockdown started, so many of the things I was involved in were not so much happening, so I thought: 'I will have a another go."

Sandra Squire, leader of the Independent group at County Hall, was the biggest casualty at the West Norfolk count.

Mrs Squire, who left the Conservatives to become an Independent in November 2018, lost Marshland South to the Tories' Julian Kirk.

"It is what it is I suppose," she said. "Some you win, some you lose."

Independent Jim Moriarty won Gayton and Nar Valley from the Conservatives.

Mrs Squire said: "I'm really pleased Jim's got in and there's still going to be an Independent group at Norfolk County Council - they don't get rid of us all that easily."

Fellow Conservative Lesley Bambridge took King's Lynn North and Central from Labour.

West Norfolk results in full:

Clenchwarton and King's Lynn South: Alexandra Kemp (I) 1,280, Liam Allan Hind (C) 743, Adam Giles (L) 187 Turnout: 28.19pc

Dersingham: Stuart Dark (C) 2,290, Jordan Stokes (G) 456, George Lankester (L) 238, Erika Ingrid Coward (LD) 149 Turnout: 35.95pc

Docking: Michael Chenery of Horsbrugh (C) 1,499, Chris Morley (I) 706, Michelle Carter (L) 448 Turnout: 35.18pc

Downham Market: Tony White (C) 1,395, Josie Ratcliffe (LD) 641, Eamonn McCusker (L) 372, Jackie Westrop (I) 280 Turnout: 31.56pc

Feltwell: Martin Storey (C) 1,983, Tom Ryves (I) 456, Neil Christopher Harvey (L) 416, Aldridge (I) 185 Turnout: 30.96

Fincham: Brian Long (C) 1,510, lan Holmes (I) 629, Jo Smith (L) 396 Turnout: 29.48pc

Freebridge Lynn: Nick Daubney (C)1,670, Andrew De Whalley (G) 510, Francis Bone (L) 403 Turnout: 34.76pc

Gayton and Nar Valley: Jim Moriarty (I) 1,370, Olivia Morris (C), 1,156, David Collis (L) 298 Turnout: 35.48pc

Gaywood North and Central: Graham Middleton (C) 1,031, Helen Dalgliesh (L) 616, David Mills (LD) 131, Jim Perkins (UKIP) 61 Turnout: 24.4pc

Gaywood South: Thomas Smith (C) 908, Micaela Bartrum (L) 724, Rob Colwell (LD) 228, Michael Stone (UKIP) 99 Turnout: 20.52pc

King's Lynn North and Central: Lesley Bambridge (C) 520, Wilfred Lambert (L) 482, Rob Archer (G) 256, , Richard Coward (LD) 66, Gary Bramham (Reform) 56 Turnout: 17.5pc

Marshland North: Julian Kirk (C) 1,224, Sandra Squire (I) 574, Matthew Hannay (L) 305 Turnout: 25.98pc

Marshland South: Chris Dawson (C) 1,679, Colin Rose (I) 546, David Hodgkinson (L) 253, Alastair Kent (G) 196 Turnout: 26.03pc

North Coast: Andrew Jamieson (C) 1,847, John Crofts (LD) 752, John Simmons (L) 252. Turnout: 40.78pc