THE Liberal Democrats tightened their grip on St Albans with a net gain of two seats in Thursday's district council elections.

They gained three seats from Labour and two from the Tories, including that of former Mayor Keith Stammers, who lost to Judy Shardlow on the draw of a pencil after a dead heat in Wheathampstead.

The Lib Dem gains were balanced by losses to the Conservatives in Redbourn, Verulam and Marshalswick South, but cabinet chairman Robert Donald, secure for at least another year with an overall majority of four, was delighted.

He said: "I am very pleased and relieved to have an overall majority.

"Not only does it make life easier, but we can press ahead with our policies.

"We have a legitimacy we did not have in the last two years."

Labour's vote collapsed, with Mal Pakenham losing his Ashley seat by a margin of 247 to former Lib Dem Parliamentary candidate Anthony Rowlands, who return to the council chamber after an absence of several years.

Labour's Abdul Kadir, beaten into third place in Cunningham, blamed the party's national difficulties for their poor showing in St Albans.

New Tory leader Teresa Heritage pointed out that her party had beaten the Lib Dems by nearly 3,000 in overall votes and in a proportional system would be in a position to take power.

But her predecessor John Newman has announced he is to sit as an independent in future.

The results of Thursday night's district council election for St Albans were as follows:

Ward: BATCHWOOD - LABOUR HOLD CADISH, SARA CONSERVATIVE 524 - MILLS, GILLIAN GREEN PARTY 204 - MILLS, ROMA LABOUR 827 E WITHERICK, ALLAN SIAO MING LIBERAL DEMOCRAT 587 - Electorate 5078 Turnout 42.43 per cent

Ward: ST PETERS - LIB DEM GAIN FROM LABOUR DUNLEAVY, WINIFRED MARY LABOUR 464 - GREEN, MICHAEL ANDREW LIBERAL DEMOCRAT 915 E MUKHERJEE, DEBASHIS CONSERVATIVE 398 - TIZZARD, KRISTIAN DAVID GREEN PARTY 240 - Electorate 5091 per cent Turnout 39.67 per cent

Ward: VERULAM - CONSERVATIVE GAIN FROM LIB DEM CAMPBELL, SUSAN HEATHER LIBERAL DEMOCRAT 1116 - CLOKE, JANE LABOUR 146 - GROVER, MARGARET REBECCA GREEN PARTY 211 - WILLCOCKS, IRENE CONSERVATIVE 1167 E Electorate 4950 Turnout 53.45 per cent

Ward: SOPWELL - LIB DEM GAIN FROM LABOUR HARDY, THOMAS WOODBURNE BRUCE GREEN PARTY 230 - POOR, DAVID JOHN LIBERAL DEMOCRAT 671 E PRATLEY, DAWN VALERIE LABOUR 605 - RENCH, HEATHER CHRISTINE CONSERVATIVE 516 - Electorate 5038 Turnout 40.31 per cent

Ward: CUNNINGHAM - LIB DEM HOLD HARDY, ROSALIND KATE RUTHERFORD GREEN PARTY 200 - KADIR, ABDUL LABOUR 414 - PROWSE, ROBERT GRAHAM LIBERAL DEMOCRAT 898 E VESSEY, JAMES EDWARD CONSERVATIVE 654 - Electorate 4596 Turnout 46.45 per cent

Ward: ASHLEY - LIB DEM GAIN FROM LABOUR CLOUGH, STEPHEN JAMES GREEN PARTY 224 - KHAN, RAFAT CONSERVATIVE 551 - PAKENHAM, MALACHY FRANCIS LABOUR 597 - ROWLANDS, ANTHONY FRANCIS LIBERAL DEMOCRAT 844 E Electorate 5118 Turnout 43.68 per cent

Ward: CLARENCE - LIB DEM HOLD GROVER, SIMON JONATHAN GREEN PARTY 298 - LEE, DAVID ALAN LABOUR 339 - LIFELY, KATHARINE RUTH CONSERVATIVE 596 - LUSBY, JOYCE MARY LIBERAL DEMOCRAT 918 E Electorate 4573 Turnout 47.25 per cent

Ward: MARSHALSWICK SOUTH - CONSERVATIVE GAIN FROM LIB DEM EWINGTON, MARK ANTONY GREEN PARTY 251 - GAYGUSUZ, MEHMET CONSERVATIVE 985 E HALE, JENNIFER NELLIE LIBERAL DEMOCRAT 953 - NICHOLSON, ANTHONY WILLIAM LABOUR 343 - Electorate 4979 Turnout 51.09 per cent

Ward: COLNEY HEATH - LIB DEM GAIN FROM CONSERVATIVE CLOKE, ALAN JAMES CONSERVATIVE 616 - DAY, IAN JAMIESON LIBERAL DEMOCRAT 823 E EGGLESTON, PETER RICHARD GREEN PARTY 84 - WATSON, GORDON LABOUR 146 - Electorate 4013 Turnout 41.76 per cent

Ward: LONDON COLNEY - LABOUR HOLD GORDON, ETHELDREDA MARY LABOUR 960 E METCALF, KATE HELEN GREEN PARTY 155 - PROWSE, CAROL SHEILA LIBERAL DEMOCRAT 241 - WINSTONE, DAVID MARK CONSERVATIVE 790 - Electorate 6154 Turnout 35.13 per cent

Ward: SANDRIDGE - CONSERVATIVE HOLD CADDY, LORNA-MAY GREEN PARTY 143 - CHURCHARD, JANET LIBERAL DEMOCRAT 403 - MULHOLLAND, MICHAEL LABOUR 151 - READ, BERIC JOHNATHAN CONSERVATIVE 880 E Electorate 3695 % Turnout 42.80 per cent

Ward: MARSHALSWICK NORTH - LIB DEM HOLD BAUGHAN, JOHN PHILIP LABOUR 178 - CLEGG, THOMAS OLIVER LIBERAL DEMOCRAT 1186 E FOSTER, JOHN CONSERVATIVE 811 - PAUL, ROSALIND MARY GREEN PARTY 170 - Electorate 4721 Turnout 50.09 per cent

Ward: PARK STREET - LIB DEM HOLD ALLEN, PATRICIA MARY LABOUR 170 - EASTON, JACK EDWARD GREEN PARTY 101 - GRIFFITHS, MARGARET CONSERVATIVE 868 - LEE, AISLINN LIBERAL DEMOCRAT 1233 E Electorate 5152 Turnout 46.21 per cent

Ward: ST. STEPHEN - CONSERVATIVE HOLD BLACKWELL, JANET ELIZABETH LABOUR 201 - DAVIS, MARGARET ANN MCLEOD GREEN PARTY 153 - GARRARD, PATRICIA ROSE CONSERVATIVE 1329 E PARRY, DAVID JOHN LIBERAL DEMOCRAT 593 - Electorate 4921 Turnout 46.45 per cent

Ward: WHEATHAMPSTEAD - LIB DEM GAIN FROM CONSERVATIVE PATRICK, GILLIAN KATHRYN GREEN PARTY 115 - SHARDLOW, JUDITH CLAIRE LIBERAL DEMOCRAT 1132 E BY LOT STAMMERS, KEITH CONSERVATIVE 1132 - WOODHAMS, PETER LESLIE LABOUR 94 - Electorate 4594 Turnout 53.40 per cent

Ward: REDBOURN - CONSERVATIVE GAIN FROM LIB DEM CARR, SUSAN JUDITH SCOTT CONSERVATIVE 1039 E HILL, EDWARD JOHN LABOUR 138 - MANNING, ANN DOROTHY LIBERAL DEMOCRAT 745 - RIENER,GREGORY SCOTT GREEN PARTY 126 - Electorate 4595 Turnout 44.80 per cent

Ward: HARPENDEN NORTH - CONSERVATIVE HOLD BRADBURY, SASHA LOUISE GREEN PARTY 147 - PHILLIPS, JEFFREY KYNDON LIBERAL DEMOCRAT 578 - ROSS, ROSEMARY ELSBETH LABOUR 166 - TURNER, GEOFFREY HOWARD CONSERVATIVE 1236 E Electorate 5019 Turnout 42.60 per cent

Ward: HARPENDEN EAST - LIB DEM HOLD CREW, DAVID EARNEE LABOUR 169 - STEER, ALISON MARY LIBERAL DEMOCRAT 1135 E TAYLOR-ROOME, DENISE GREEN PARTY 140 - WAKELY, MICHAEL JAMES CONSERVATIVE 1044 - Electorate 5189 Turnout 48.20 per cent

Ward: HARPENDEN SOUTH - CONSERVATIVE HOLD CARDEN, MARY LIBERAL DEMOCRAT 313 - HARBER, ERIC STANCHELL GREEN PARTY 150 - HERITAGE, TERESA CATHERINE CONSERVATIVE 1606 E SPIRI, LINDA ANN LABOUR 160 - Electorate 5089 Turnout 44.10 per cent

Ward: HARPENDEN WEST - CONSERVATIVE HOLD CHAMBERLAIN, ALLEN CONSERVATIVE 1606 E RAYNER, ELIZABETH CONSTANCE LABOUR 158 - SCHEIMANN, MARC GREEN PARTY 207 - SKINNER, MARY CLAYTON LIBERAL DEMOCRAT 410 - Electorate 5326 Turnout 44.9 per cent OVERALL TURNOUT 45.1 per cent

MAKE UP OF THE COUNCIL LIBERAL DEMOCRATS - 31 LABOUR - 8 CONSERVATIVES - 17 INDEPENDENTS - 2 LIBERAL DEMOCRAT OVERALL MAJORITY - 4