TWO independent councillors from the Warminster area will have a key role to play on the new hung district council.

Thursday's election saw Christopher Newbury and John Syme top their respective polls in Warminster West and the new seat of Mid Wylye Valley.

Cllr Newbury secured the ward, which now includes Heytesbury, Imber and Knook, with 74 percent of the vote. The Independent councillor polled 715 votes out of a total of 971 to hold the ward for a third term.

John Syme was in buoyant mood after his victory in hotly contested Warminster West. Cllr Syme polled 791 votes, 126 ahead of second placed Martin Baker (Con).

The third councillor elected in Warminster West was Paul Batchelor (Lib) with 605 votes.

Warminster East saw an emphatic victory for the three sitting Tory councillors with outgoing town mayor Andrew Davis topping the poll with 1,311 votes. He was followed by Christopher March with 1,235 and Kay Whatley-Gibbs on 1,019.

In Shearwater sitting councillor Michael Mounde (Con) extended his majority from 17 to 315.

Cllr Mounde said: "I have greatly increased my majority which means hopefully we've done something good over the past four years."

Two standing councillors failed to retain their seats.

Bill Hurd (Con) was beaten in the new ward of Mid Wylye Valley.

Mr Hurd said: "I have very much enjoyed the last four years on the council, especially the last two as chairman of the Southern Area Committee."

The Southern Area Committee has also lost its vice-chairman as David Lovell (Lib Dem) slipped to sixth place in three-member ward Warminster West.

Mr Lovell had been a councillor in the ward, for which he remains a town councillor, since 1999.