CONSERVATIVE Sir Michael Spicer conceded that he had bucked the trend last night after increasing his majority in West Worcestershire.

The MP beat off a challenge by the Liberal Democrat candidate Mike Hadley and pushed his majority over 5,000, polling 20,597 votes.

The count at the Bank House Hotel, Bransford, went on deep into the night, with a result finally being declared shortly before 4.30am.

Conservative officials and Sir Michael scanned the boxes of votes as they were laid out on the top table in the minutes before the result was delivered, which confirmed early indications that they had done enough.

Responding to the formal announcement of his win, Sir Michael said: "We seem definitely to have bucked the trend and for that I'm enormously grateful, to my agent, to my wife and to my friends, who have been absolutely wonderful throughout this whole campaign."

But he added: "There is no question about it, this nationally has been a good night for my opponents."

Mr Hadley said: "Our party has done very well nationally but not, sadly, well enough to take the seat."

Labour's Waqar Azmi, who is also chairman of the Worcestershire Racial Equality Council, spoke of his concern at events in Oldham, where the British National Party had polled high numbers of votes.

Result: Sir Michael Spicer, Conservative, 20,597, Mike Hadley, Liberal Democrat, 15,223, Waqar Azmi, Labour, 6,275, Ian Morris, United Kingdom Independence Party, 1,574, Malcolm Victory, Green, 1,138.

Turnout was just over 67 per cent.