The controlling Labour Party increased its hold on Hammersmith and Fulham Council by taking nine seats off its Conservative rivals.

Labour now has 35 seats, to the Conservatives’ 11.

The biggest casualty of the night was Conservative party leader Joe Carlebach who lost his seat in Avonmore and Brook Green.

The Green Party, UK Independence Party, Liberal Democrats and the one independent candidate Jagdeo Singh Hauzaree who ran in Wormholt and White City all failed to win any seats.

The turnout for the council election was 39% overall - just up from 38% four years ago.

Labour leader Stephen Cowan, who took up his post in 2014, said: “We want to be judged by our deeds and not our words.”

He added: “We are the only council to freeze council tax, abolish charges on adult social care, we took all children out of homeless B&B accommodation.”

He said it was also building the largest number of “genuinely affordable homes”.

He has pledged to “fight passionately” to prevent Charing Cross Hospital being downgraded and losing its A&E department.

His rival, Conservative leader Joe Carlebach, appealed to voters to “back our plan to make Hammersmith and Fulham a cleaner, greener, safer borough.”

Conservative "big guns" Dominic Grieve and Transport Secretary Chris Grayling hit the campaign trail to help boost the party's chances.

In 2014 then Prime Minister David Cameron abruptly cancelled a victory rally in the borough after Labour gained control of the council.

The Conservatives pledged to combat rising crime with extended CCTV and more mobile surveillance, and sting operations to tackle antisocial behaviour and crime.

They vowed to “protect” Charing Cross Hospital and expand the A&E department.

The party has also pledged to improve council housing by creating “a proper maintenance programme to ensure repairs are carried out quickly and easily”.

Liberal Democrat candidate Irina Von Wiese, who ran in Ravenscourt Park, said: “The key issues on the doorstep are Charing Cross Hospital and a lot of people are worried about crime and environmental issues.”

She said Remainers were also concerned about Brexit - although it is not a council issue.