IT WAS a seat that the polls suggested Labour would lose for sure.

But as dawn broke this morning, it was revealed that sitting MP Jim Knight had defied the national trend to keep hold of South Dorset.

He even managed to turn a knife-edge majority of 153 votes - Labour's smallest in the country - into a more comfortable 1,812 vote lead over the Conservatives.

The once-solidly Tory seat includes Swanage and Purbeck.

Speaking after the result was declared at 5am, Mr Knight said he was "totally overwhelmed".

He added: "To achieve more than a 10-times increase in the majority is an overwhelming vote of support from my constituents who I have been so pleased and proud to serve over the last four years."

Tory candidate Ed Matts had been embarrassed by national publicity after it was revealed he had used doctored photos of himself and Ann Widdecombe in a campaign leaflet.

He also had to apologise for wrongly suggesting Mr Knight supported the closure of a Swanage school.

But Mr Knight said: "Some people will put this down to an accident-prone campaign from my main opponent. I would say to him and to others I don't believe anybody lost this election - I believe we in the Labour Party in South Dorset won this election."

Mr Matts said: "It has been a difficult campaign. However we have made many friends over the last two or three years by looking at the issues and talking to people."

He said the campaign would stand the party in good stead and "in four or five years time we will take this seat back".

Liberal Democrat candidate Graham Oakes, who polled 7,647 votes, said the campaign was "one of the most amazing events I have ever seen in politics".

He said despite being under-resourced, the party had increased its vote by 20 per cent.

South Dorset

Jim Knight (Labour) 20,231

Ed Matts (Con) 18,419

Graham Oakes (Lib-Dem) 7,647

Hugh Chalker (UKIP) 1,571

Vic Hamilton (Legalise Cannabis Alliance) 282

Berny Parkes (Respect-Unity Coalition) 219

Andrew Kirkwood (Personality and Rational...) 107

Colin Bex (Wessex Regionalists) 83

David Marchesi (Soc Labour Party) 25

Majority 1812 - Hold