UKIP is poised to make dramatic headway in this week's local government elections, and could double its number of councillors from 370 to 750 at a stroke, pollsters have forecast.

Around 9,500 seats are up for grabs in 204 district councils, 127 of which will be all-out elections, in 49 unitary councils - including 30 all-out votes - and 36 metropolitan district councils.

In last year's local polls, UKIP enjoyed a net gain of 161 seats and is claiming an additional 400 gains would be ‘a reasonable ambition' for the party to expand on its success in coastal towns in the east and south of England and make inroads into Labour council heartlands, including Dudley, Hartlepool, Preston and Rotherham.