EAST Lancashire gained two extra Parliamentary representatives on Thursday.

New North-West Durham Tory MP Richard Holden was raised in the Ribble Valley while Cllr Christian Wakeford, leader of the Conservative group on Pendle Council, was elected MP for Bury South.

Mr Holden, who parents Mark and Joan live in Grindleton, was one of the Conservative candidates who contributed to shock gains for the party in Labour's North-East heartland.

Cllr Wakeford, seized weather-vane Bury South from Labour after its former Labour MP Ivan Lewis stood as an Independent.

He said: "I will stand with East Lancashire 's MPs in any representations to government. I shall stand down as leader of the Conservative group on Pendle council within the next 48 hours and as councillor for Barrowford by the May elections or before."

Mr Holden said: "We now have a strong Northern Conservative voice and I shall be part of that for East Lancashire as well."