JUBILANT Liberal Democrats were celebrating last night after a landslide victory in a crucial Clitheroe by-election.

The Ribble Valley's split council hung in the balance after the resignation of Liberal Democrat Denis McWilliam because of ill-health.

The Tories and the Liberal Democrats each had 19 seats on the council with the casting vote held by lone Labour councillor Bert Jones, who threw his weight behind the Liberal Democrats in their bid for overall control.

And a resounding win by Allan Knox in the St James's Ward by-election kept them in power.

The Ribblesdale High School governor polled 403 votes with Tory Kimberley Heskett second with 131 and Labour's Mark Clayton third with 92.

The resignation of Coun McWilliam also left a seat on Clitheroe Town Council, which Liberal Democrat Mary Robinson, a governor of St James's CE Primary School, won with 407 votes. Miss Heskett was second with 133 votes and Labour's Rita Richards third with 89.

Council leader Howel Jones said he was delighted. "This was always going to be a crucial by-election. Had any of the other two parties won, we would have lost control of the council.

"We won a high percentage of the vote, which confirms the support we have in Clitheroe."

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