UKIP should not stand at the general elections in Hounslow next year, the leader of the party's local group has said.
Colin Botterill, Hounslow UKIP group leader, said Feltham and Heston was probably unwinnable and he didn't want to 'water down' the Conservative vote in Brentford and Islewort'h.
Despite UKIP's success nationally it struggled in London and failed to win a single seat in Hounslow in last week's local elections, where the four councillors who had defected from the Conservatives last summer were all voted out.
Some Conservatives blamed UKIP for splitting the vote and losing the Tories seats, particularly in the west of the borough, where they were wiped from the map.
Mr Botterill, who lost his seat in Feltham West, told getwestlondon: "I'm not to blame for anyone's result and I don't blame anyone for my result. We will learn from our mistakes and come back bigger and better."
However, asked if he hoped to represent the party in next summer's general elections, he said he thought it would be better if UKIP did not field a candidate in either Feltham and Heston, currently held by Labour MP Seema Malhotra, or Brentford and Isleworth, where Conservative MP Mary Macleod is the incumbent.
"I had been thinking about standing in the general elections myself. We've got Feltham and Heston and Brentford and Isleworth still open," he said.
"But I personally think Feltham and Heston won't be worth it because it's a strong Labour constituency and I think Seema is doing a good job.
"There might be a possibility in Brentford and Isleworth of UKIP getting some votes but I think it's a strong Conservative area and we might water down the Conservative vote, allowing Ruth Cadbury (Labour's parliamentary candidate) easy access. I don't think we should do that.
"If we don't think we can win a constituency I don't think we should go in there to allow another party in. Just because I'm ex-Conservative doesn't mean I hate them."
Mr Botterill said Hounslow UKIP needed to learn from the 'fantastic' campaign run by Labour. He said the first step would be to form a local association to ensure its members worked more closely in future.
Asked whether he was sad to see any of his former Conservative colleagues lose their seats, he said he was particularly disappointed to see deputy group leader Liz Mammatt voted out in Bedfont.
"She was one of those people who lived for her ward and I don't think the people of Bedfont will find anyone as dedicated as her," he said.
