Nigel Farage has likened predicting the upcoming local election result in Great Yarmouth to playing pin the tail on a donkey.

The leader of the UK Independence Party said he was 'very bullish' about a local contest in the Essex town of Thurrock where he believed the party could become the biggest on the council, but was less sure about the Norfolk coastal town.

In 2014 his party won 10 out of the 13 seats up for election on the council, with both Labour and the Conservative each losing five seats to UKIP resulting in no overall control of the council.

Mr Farage said: 'The Conservatives came back in the general election, but was that a vote against the SNP? Clearly UKIP is very strong in Yarmouth, however I can't read it.'

He suggested that turnout could be hit as attention is turned to the European Union referendum in June.

'The interesting thing in the east is the police and crime commissioners. I genuinely think Spink has got a chance in Essex. I really do.'

But he said he could not comment on how other candidates in the region might do.

'I think it is desperately difficult to predict. I am not going to play the predictions game.'

'It is so difficult to call. I can predict what is going to happen in Scotland, I can predict what is going to happen in London, but in terms of local elections, by-elections, police and crime commissioners, do you have a clue? I don't.

'1,500 seats, how many gains, no idea, I literally haven't got a clue and no one has.'

'You may as well play pin the tail on the donkey as to guess how many gains or losses parties are going to get. What none of us can read is turnout. 'All the talk is about the referendum and I think a lot of people are not going to vote.'