The Labour candidate held onto the Bowling seat in a Bradford Council by-election victory.

Just 18.57 per cent of the 12,500 eligible voters turned out on a snowy day yesterday to place their crosses, but Labour's Tony Niland managed to retain the seat ahead of the Conservatives with 44 per cent of the vote.

The election was called after the death of Councillor Jean Ellison in January - and the new ward member paid tribute in his speech to his predecessor.

Labour supporters cheered at the results were announced.

With about 100 people watching the count at the Bradford Cathedral Community College in Lister Avenue, Mr Niland was declared winner with 1,014 votes and immediately embraced wife Margaret.

He said: "This result shows the people of Bradford are behind the Labour Party and turned out despite the weather."

Despite the victory, Labour was the only one of the three main parties to gain a lower percentage of the vote than in last May's local election.

Conservative runner-up Zameer Shah polled 34 per cent with 777 votes.

He said: "I think if the weather had been better and more people had turned out, we could have had the election in the bag.

"It was an extremely low turnout, but we will be back next year and we will fight even harder."

Liberal Democrat candidate Rupert Oliver was third with 437 votes, 21 per cent.

Party leader Jeanette Sunderland said her group's increase in the share of the vote was a good sign for the looming General Election: "We have done well despite a disappointing turnout.

"It is a credit to our supporters and campaigners and shows we are in strong form in the run-up to the General Election."

Green Candidate Derek Curtis, bidding to become only the second councillor from his party on Bradford Council, polled 43 votes.