ROBERT Walter was returned to North Dorset for his own historic third term but Liberal Democrat challenger Emily Gasson cut his majority by nearly 2,000 votes.

In his victory speech he thanked all those who had supported him but most particularly "those who have come up to me during the election and said they had supported me not necessarily because I was a Conservative but because of the way I had served North Dorset during the last eight years."

He promised to do his best to serve constituents in the next term, irrespective of their personal politics.

He told the Daily Echo he would continue the campaign against wind turbines - a scheme in the Winterborne valley went to appeal last week - and he would examine the microbiology waste treatment plants, two of which are planned for his constitu-ency.

Ms Gasson displayed a cool nerve - only showing up at the count shortly before 4am. But as always at North Dorset the count was very slow.

She managed to upstage her rival with her upbeat speech. "We have had the most incredible result here," she said.

"There are only two places in the country where we have bucked the trend against the Tories and one of those is here.

"We have cut the majority but now this seat is right up there with the marginals. It's looking good."

She urged Lib Dem supporters to promote the politics of hope rather than fear and thanked the other candidates for "a much cleaner fight" - Mr Walter made a wry face at this.

Keith Yarwood, Labour, said the fact that Gordon Brown was Chancellor again meant that at the G8 summit this year poverty in developing countries would be tackled.

UKIP candidate Richard Frampton Hobbs said the country was in safe hands - if you believed Peter Man-delson's hands were safe.

Green party member Ralph Arliss said this was the first time a Green candidate had stood in North Dorset and he liked to think the Greens had made a mark.

In keeping with tradition, the constituency recorded a high turnout of 71.48 per cent.

North Dorset

Robert Walter (Con) 23,714

Emily Gasson (Lib Dem) 21,470

Keith Yarwood (Labour) 4,596

Richard Frampton (UKIP) 1,918

Ralph Arliss (Green) 1,117

Majority 2,244,

Hold