Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith today discovered the scale of the task he faces in returning the Tories to national power, as local election results showed them far short of the kind of breakthrough they need to boot Tony Blair out of Downing Street.

All the main political parties were hit by a shockwave as the far-Right British National Party won a seat on Burnley borough council.

On a night when both the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats were hoping to capitalise on disillusionment with the Government and pick up substantial numbers of seats, there were early gains for the Tories in the capital.

In one of the first results of the night, Havering Borough in east London, Labour was down by 21 seats possibly adversely affected by boundary changes while the Conservative total rose by 14.

But that early encouragement for the Tories was quickly undermined by results elsewhere.

The Tories lost one of only two metropolitan councils they held, Calderdale in West Yorkshire, to no overall control.

And Labour retained control of Bolton and Wolverhampton, two councils where it was under threat.

The Burnley result was the only high point of the early part of the night for the BNP.

There David John Edwards, a civil engineer, polled 898 votes in the Cliviger With Worsthorne ward in Burnley, Lancashire.

Mr Edwards came second in the ward in which there was a 63 per cent turn out. Each ward is electing three councillors, with the Conservative party candidate David Heginbotham coming first, with 1,032 votes.

Speaking after the result was announced, Mr Edwards said: "I am very pleased. I would like to thank the people of Burnley for their support."

The new councillor refused to comment any further as he was surrounded by hordes of media.

Campaigning had been dominated by concerns over street crime and fears that a low turnout could allow the BNP which had 68 candidates standing to make gains.

But in the first council to declare where the BNP had a significant number of candidates Sunderland the far-Right party's challenge melted away, with none of its six candidates winning a seat.

Labour held the council comfortably, losing just one seat, to the Tories.

And in Sandwell in the west Midlands, where the BNP had more realistic hopes of a seat, neither of its candidates was elected.

And BNP candidate Mick Treacy was defeated resoundingly in Oldham. Mr Treacy, who was contesting the Hollinwood ward, received just 736 votes out of a possible 3,083. He was one of five BNP candidates standing in the town. The seat was taken from the Liberal Democrats by Labour.

There was good news for Labour in the east London borough of Newham, where council leader Sir Robin Wales became only the second man to be elected mayor of a British local authority.

Labour's Sir Robin polled more than half the votes to win on the first count.

Mayoral elections were also due later tonight at Doncaster, Hartlepool, Lewisham, Middlesbrough, North Tyneside and Watford.

In Havering, Labour's losses did not give the council to the Tories. No party was in overall control before polling and that continued to be the case after tonight's result, with the Conservatives having 26 seats - replacing Labour as the largest grouping - Labour nine, the Liberal Democrats one and residents 18.

In areas using all-postal voting the turnout was good, at more than 50 per cent in Gateshead and South Tyneside, traditionally low-polling Labour strongholds.

But elsewhere it was less impressive, averaging around 34 per cent.

About half of the 43 million voters in Great Britain were able to take part in the contests, covering the London boroughs, metropolitan councils in the big conurbations and district and unitary authorities scattered throughout the country.

The elections affect 174 councils, all in England, with the spotlight on the London boroughs.

NATIONAL NEWS