COCK-A-HOOP Conservatives delivered a polling day shocker and went within a whisker of grabbing control of two East Lancashire councils on a night when Labour heads rolled.

Hyndburn Council leader George Slynn was the biggest Labour casualty as the Tories dominated yesterday's local council elections, losing the battle for his Great Harwood ward by more than 500 votes as local Conservatives gained 11 seats in the borough.

Conservatives also went within an ace of taking overall control of Ribble Valley - only conceding defeat to the Liberal Democrats by one vote in the vital Clitheroe Grammar School ward after a fourth recount - and with the prospect of deciding the result on the toss of a coin looming. Neither party has overall control today, with independents holding the balance of power.

Tory success in Hyndburn prompted colleagues in Blackburn and Darwen to predict they will gain control of the town hall by 2001 and Conservatives also made significant gains in Chorley and Rossendale.

But Labour maintained its grip in Burnley and helped oust the Liberals from overall control in Pendle, where Tories again made gains.

The man who defeated Coun Slynn - Independent Adrian Shurmer - now holds the balance of power in Hyndburn

Conservatives had stood aside to let the former policeman take on Coun Slynn, a former county highways chairman, in a two-way fight after a series of clashes between the two men in recent years over the council's traffic calming schemes. Coun Slynn blamed his defeat on the council's controversial "humps and bumps" policy and said: "This is a black day for Labour."

But the man who defeated him was today vowing not to rush into any decisions over how he would use his place holding the balance of power, although he is considering making a bid to become leader of the council.

He said: "The council uses millions of pounds of public money and I am going to make sure we ask people what they want to do with it."

Other Labour casualties in Hyndburn included long-serving Jack Grime and Mayor Ian Ormerod.

George Kirby, chairman of the Blackburn Conservative Association, said: "Some people said we were taking on too much. I think we have proved them wrong."

Ribble Valley Conservative leader Peter Redpath was elated and said the gains were an enormous fillip for the Conservative Party.

He added: "We have increased our majority in the places we already held and to take two seats from the Liberal Democrats is a great achievement."

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