Watch two candidates decide local election by STRAWS after gaining exact same number of votes

Months of campaigning may have gone into it, but one local election result was decided by drawing straws last night.

When two candidates for the South Blyth seat on Northumberland County Council gained exactly the same number of votes, election officials allowed the seat to be decided by drawing straws.

According to the Hexham Courant, Liberal Democrat candidate Lesley Rickerby and Tory Daniel Carr finished with 356 votes each in the South Blyth ward.

The result followed three recounts, leaving the candidates no choice but to draw straws to decide who won.

But the decision had wider-reaching effects than the seat itself, affecting the control of the entire council.

With 67 seats on the council, the Conservatives had won 33, Labour 24, Independents had won seven seats, and the Lib Dems had two.

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That meant the Tories needed to win the South Blyth seat to have a majority, and control of the council.

But the drawing of straws meant the seat was won by Lib Dem Ms Rickerby, denying the Conservative Party control of the council.

A video taken by the BBC’s Fergus Hewison shows the two candidates drawing straws and Ms Rickerby jumping for joy when she was found to be the victor.

(Top picture: Getty)