THERE were no real election surprises in the district as both local MPs held onto their seats, but while Taunton Deane's Liberal Democrat Jeremy Browne increase his share of the vote, Bridgwater and West Somerset Conservative Ian Liddell-Grainger saw his drop by 0.1 per cent.

The results appeared to buck the national trend as across the country the Liberal Democrats lost support from voters while the Conservatives gained seats.

In the Bridgwater and West Somerset constituency there was a 2.9 per cent swing from the Conservatives in favour of the Liberal Democrats, while in Taunton Deane there a 1.8 per cent swing from the Conservatives to the Liberal Democrats.

But Taunton Conservative Mark Formosa managed to increase his percentage share of the vote, up 1.1 per cent, as he finished second with 24,538 votes to Mr Browne's 28,531.

In Bridgwater and West Somerset, Mr Liddell-Grainger took 45 per cent of the vote to poll 24,675 votes, with Liberal Democrat Theo Butt Philip coming second with 15,426 votes.

In 2005, the Liberal Democrats trailed home in third place to Labour in the consistency, but this time the Lib Dem share went up 5.7 per cent while Labour's plummeted by 8.5 per cent.

Both seats were affected by boundary changes as Dulverton and a large chunk of Exmoor switched from the Taunton constituency to Bridgwater and West Somerset.

There was also a high turnout in both wards, with 71.2 per cent polling in Bridgwater and West Somerset and 70.5 per cent casting their vote in the Taunton consistency.

Elsewhere in Somerset, the Lib Dems held on to three seats and gained a previously safe Tory seat in Wells, while the Conservatives held on to two.

It will be Mr Liddell-Grainger's third term in Parliament and Mr Browne's second.

BRIDGWATER AND WEST SOMERSET

Conservatives hold

Ian Liddell-Grainger (Con) 24,675

Theo Butt Philip (Lib Dem) 15,426

Kathy Pearce (Lab) 9,332

Peter Hollings (UKIP) 2,604

Donna Treanor (BNP) 1,282

Charles Graham (Green) 859

Bob Cudlipp (Ind) 315

Majority 9,249 votes

Turnout 54,493 (71.2 per cent, up 7.2 per cent)

TAUNTON DEANE

Lib Dems hold

Jeremy Browne (Lib Dem) 28,531

Mark Formosa (Con) 24,538

Martin Jevon (Lab) 2,967

Tony McIntyre (UKIP) 2,114

Majority 3,993 votes

Turnout 58,150 (70.5 per cent - up 1.2 per cent)