BBC Local Live: Essex

These elections have seen UKIP wiped off the county council political map. Most surprisingly, they lost every single seat in Essex, an area that fostered their growth and of course, until recently boasted their only MP. In all they lost 48 seats across the east and now have no representation across its six counties.

The Conservatives appear to be the beneficiary. They have regained control of Cambridgeshire, Norfolk and Suffolk and strengthened their grip on Essex, Northamptonshire and Hertfordshire.

Labour held on in some of its heartland seats but suffered elsewhere, particularly in Stevenage and Harlow, where the Conservatives made gains.

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It was a mixed picture for the Liberal Democrats who lost seats on Essex, Suffolk and Northamptonshire but they made some gains from the Conservatives in Norfolk.

The Green Party lost their stronghold in Norwich but made a gain in Suffolk where they now hold three county council  seats.

The vote share from yesterday's local elections confirms that across the east the Conservatives are once again the dominant party.

With all the votes counted, the Tories share of the vote ranged from 43% in Suffolk and Essex to a staggering 51% in Northamptonshire. The national average appears to be about 38%.

Labour saw a small surge in support in its traditional heartlands and its average share across the region was 13.7%. But that's way below the national average of 27% and shows how little support the party has in our region.

In Essex, the Conservative party gained 184,901 votes in yesterday's local elections - 49.51% of the vote.

It's higher than the national projected vote share for the Tories, which stands at 38%.

The projected national share figures are what the share of the vote would be if all parts of Britain had local elections and had voted in the same way as Thursday's English County Council elections.  

This evening it will be staying mostly fine with some areas of cloud at times. One or two spots of drizzle possible overnight, but staying mild.

Winds will be moderate, with lows of 7C (45F).

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It will be a rather cloudy start to the day tomorrow. Generally cloudier than today with some brighter spells, but feeling cooler.

Winds light to moderate and highs of 10C (50F) on the coast and 14C (57F) inland.

There's more at BBC Weather.

A UKIP wipeout, losses for Labour and the Lib Dems, and an increased Tory majority - BBC Essex political editor Simon Dedman explains how Essex County Council looks after last night's election results.

Then you'll love Around the Wicket on BBC Essex.

It's the biggest dedicated county cricket radio programme on the BBC.

Paul Hawkins will be joined by a host of special guests, talking about all the news from Essex County Cricket Club and grassroots cricket.

Join him every Saturday on BBC Essex at 14:00.

Colchester United are gearing up for a crunch match as they cling onto hopes of making into the play-offs. 

Mick Walker/CameraSport/Getty ImagesCopyright: Mick Walker/CameraSport/Getty Images

The U's must beat Yeovil at home tomorrow to stand any chance of reaching the top seven in League Two. 

McGreal's side will then need results of other games to go their way.

The head coach said his players will be made aware of how the scores are going in the other matches.

He said: "Everyone is kicking off at 1730, everyone will know the results. 

"Hopefully there's going to be a hefty crowd coming as well. I'm sure there'll be relaying it back around the stadium. 

"I think that's exciting talking about what's going on. 

"A couple of years ago we were at the wrong end of the table against Preston and you knew what was going on, you could feel the tension in the air, you could cut it with a knife, and we got a win. Hopefully we can do that again this coming Saturday."

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Know any young children who might be interested in having a go at cricket?

Now's the time to get them involved with the England & Wales Cricket Board's (ECB) grassroots programme for five- to eight-year-olds called All Stars Cricket.

All Stars Cricket is an eight-week course that is being introduced in May through local cricket clubs and centres, offering youngsters a first experience of the sport.  

Sign up here and children will receive a backpack of cricket gear. 

Essex Police seized 250 vehicles which had no insurance or where drivers had committed other licence offences.

They were caught by police within one month.

Here's the front page of today's Essex edition of the East Anglian Daily Times: 

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Flowers have been laid in memory of a young boy who died after a bungalow fire.

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As we've reported, the youngest of two brothers who were rescued from a blaze at Beambridge, Pitsea, died last night. 

The fire broke out at about 15:15 on Monday.

Firefighters rescued the two boys, aged 10 and 13, who were trapped inside the property. They were taken to hospital.

The 13-year-old boy remains in a critical but stable condition.

A joint police and fire investigation found the cause of the fire was accidental.

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It's a dry and rather breezy day out there with variable cloud amounts and some sunny spells. 

Skies are expected to gradually cloud over as the day progresses. 

In the sunshine it will feel pleasantly warm, but it will be cooler where exposed to the wind. 

Highs of 15C (59F).

Thanks to our BBC Weather Watchers for taking these snaps across the county.

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A woman was sexually assaulted while on a night out in Chelmsford.

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Police would like to speak to the man captured in the CCTV image below in connection with the incident in Bar & Beyond nightclub, Chelmsford.

It happened at about 00:30 on Sunday.

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A family's been left homeless after a fire destroyed their house. 

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Crews were called to Middlefield Road, Mistley, just after 19:00 last night. 

Essex County Fire and Rescue Service said the fire was in the kitchen and the house was "completely full of smoke".

The blaze was brought until control within 30 minutes.

It started when the fridge-freezer caught alight, the fire service said.

No-one was hurt but the house is "no longer inhabitable" due to smoke damage.

The deputy leader of UKIP has announced he will stand for the South Basildon and East Thurrock seat at the general election.

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Peter Whittle said he hopes to "go one better" than 2015 when UKIP came second in votes for the constituency.

He said: "Basildon and East Thurrock voted overwhelmingly to leave the European Union last year and deserves an MP who will truly stand up for their views.

"UKIP are the only party that want to see the type of Brexit that people voted for last June, so that we can get back control of our borders and our laws."

He said priorities will include the NHS, a reform of the House of Lords and the fight against armed forces and police cuts.