There was an unusual rhythm to last week's local election results. Just before dawn, with most of the overnight counting done, it looked like things were unfolding within the expected parameters. There was a steady drumbeat of Conservative councils lost to NOC, punctuated by a couple of striking Labour gains in Stoke-on-Trent and Plymouth: key targets in very different parts of the country.

As the daytime counts began to come in, however, things became more dramatic.