LABOUR snatched a council seat from underneath David Cameron’s nose after a surge in UKIP votes across Oxfordshire put a dent in Tory fortunes.

The Conservatives lost overall control of Oxfordshire County Council, but remained the party with the most seats. Talks will take place in the next few days to decide who will run the authority.

Beaming from the election podium, Laura Price hailed her victory in Witney South & Central as a message for Mr Cameron.

But the Prime Minister has played down Labour’s progress during Thursday’s elections.

During a visit to the county yesterday, Mr Cameron congratulated Conservative colleagues for a “strong performance” in West Oxfordshire.

He said: “Overall, Labour has not really broken through in Oxfordshire in the way that they would need to if they want to go on and form a Government.

“When I was first here there were four or five Labour seats in West Oxfordshire and today there is only one.

“I think it is difficult when it is a mid-term Government taking difficult decisions. The message is that we have to do even more to help hard-working families in Oxfordshire, control immigration and create more jobs.

“That is the message from these elections. I hear it loud and clear and I will do everything I can to focus on the issues people care about most.”

He said he respected the people who had voted to UKIP, but pledged to work hard win back their votes before 2015.

He said: “The choice at the next election is between a Conservative party led by me or a dangerous Government led by Ed Miliband that would undo all the work we have done.”

Mum-of-one Ms Price won Witney South and Central by just 10 votes, taking 756 compared to James Robertshaw of UKIP’s 746.

Previously representing the former Witney West seat, Tory David Harvey was pushed into third place with 697 votes.

The Green Party’s Freddie Peppiatt polled 132 and David Dunmur for the Lib Dems trailed with 85 votes. The turnout was just 22 per cent.

The result was greeted with cheers from party activists at yesterday’s count at Whitehorse Leisure Centre in Abingdon, and the 33-year-old said she was delighted.

She said: “I think it does send a message to the national Government when Labour can win in the heart of David Cameron’s constituency. It shows people want to feel they have got a voice and that they are not being marginalised by politics.”

Incumbent councillor Mr Harvey blamed the national picture for his result.

He said: “This is national politics being played at a local level.

“I am extremely disappointed that so many Witney voters have decided to express their displeasure with national policies in local elections.”

Labour also celebrated wins in Banbury, where the party’s candidates swept the board taking all four seats, and in Didcot West, where Nick Hards triumphed over incumbent Conservative councillor Tony Harbour.

Meanwhile, husband-and-wife Mike and Marilyn Badcock were both booted out of seats in Abingdon after the Lib Dems won in the east and south of the town as well as making gains in Kennington and Radley and Sutton Courtenay and Marcham.