THE Liberal Democrats have won their third by-election in a row in Westhoughton after winning Thursday's vote.

Cllr Deirdre McGeown was selected to be the new representative for White Horse ward on Westhoughton Town Council after getting 593 votes.

Conservative candidate Cllr Martyn Cox, who represents Westhoughton North and Chew Moor on Bolton Council, came a close second with 557 votes.

Labour's Cllr Anna-Marie Watters, who is a Westhoughton South member of Bolton Council, was third with 232 votes.

Kate Louise Bridge, Independent, got 60 votes and Alan Johnson from the Green Party got 11 votes.

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It was a net gain for the Lib Dems as the seat was previously held by Conservative Phil Ashcroft.

Cllr McGeown said she was 'delighted' to have won saying she felt 'brilliant'.

She said: "I'm delighted for all the support I've received and I'm delighted to be working for all the people of Westhoughton. The support has been fantastic.

"I'm going to make a difference to the people of Westhoughton, it's important we get a fair deal.

"I've never done this before and I'm hoping to bring the things that are important to me and are important to the people of Westhoughton forward."

Cllr McGeown will be representing White Horse ward alongside Labour town councillors Tom Robinson, Samantha Watkin and Arthur Price.

Cllr Cox said he was disappointed but was optimistic that the Conservative vote did not change too significantly.

He said: "Both ourselves and the Lib Dems took it seriously and both worked very hard to try and win.

"They managed to pip us at the post. Our vote did not move that much but it was Labour voters really going to the Lib Dems."

Liberal Democrat Cllr David Wilkinson, who represents Hoskers and Hart Common on Westhoughton Town Council, said: "We are very pleased. She is a lovely person and it was a pleasure to be out there campaigning in the rain and snow.

"It was a good result. It is a difficult ward to contest as it is quite Conservative.

"We argued the case for Westhoughton and we will continue to argue a case for Westhoughton."

Cllr Watters has also been contacted for a comment about the result.

The vacancy come up at the beginning of the year after Mr Ashcroft revealed he was stepping down.

The Conservative, who was a former Hulton ward representative on Bolton Council, made the decision after he began to feel that his party had lost faith in him.

It came after Mr Ashcroft was turned down when he put his name forward for two local elections in Hulton earlier this year and the Heaton and Lostock ward last year.