Early results  from yesterday's local government polls indicate an historic advance for the UK Independence Party (UKIP) – which has already won 42 seats and more than a quarter of the vote.

Votes are being counted across 27 English county councils, seven unitary authorities, Anglesey in Wales - with two mayoral elections also being held in Doncaster and North Tyneside.

The Conservative Party - which is defending 1,477 seats is braced for a disappointing losses from the 1,477 seats being defended from their high-water mark in 2009 when these elections were last held.

In early results, Conservatives have already lost overall control of Lincolnshire and Gloucestershire.

In Lincolnshire the Conservative number of seats plummeted from 61 to 36 and UKIP won 16 seats – with Conservative deputy leader Eddy Poll ousted by a UKIP candidate in Spalding.  Labour also made inroads in Gloucestershire to render the county also under no overall control.

However, in overnight counts the Conservatives have retained Essex, Dorset, Hampshire and Hertfordshire, as well as Somerset – which had been a key target for the Liberal Democrats.

In North Tyneside - one of the two mayoral elections taking place - Conservative incumbent Linda Arkley was defeated by Labour candidate Norma Redfearn.

Counts are already taking place elsewhere, with further results expected to be known from 11.00 am to around 18.30pm this evening.  A list of where and when votes are talking place is available from the Local Government Information Unit (LGiU).

The MJ is covering the elections with the LGiU over the course of today and the  live blog can be found here