CONSERVATIVES have seized control of Waverley Borough Council through the local elections, almost obliterating the Lib Dems in a victory of unprecedented proportions. The party which previously formed the administration on the "hung" council has been unceremoniously dumped by voters, retaining just three seats (in Cranleigh) against the Conservatives' 51. Twenty-two councillors failed in their bid to retain borough seats - 20 of them Lib Dems and two Independents. Prominent scalps included council leader Gillian Ferguson; former mayors Jacquie Keen and Richard Terry; Victor Scrivens, who spearheaded the introduction of alternate weekly waste collections, and East Street portfolio holder Chris Mansell. On the town council there were nine casualties - seven of them Lib Dems, plus Independent husband and wife Peter and Penny Marriott. The Waverley Independents Network (WIN), of whom much was expected in Farnham, failed to deliver any net increase in seats and now hold three on both borough and town councils. Lib Dem rebel Michael Blowers, who transferred his allegiance to WIN over the East Street issue, lost his long-held borough seat in Weybourne and Badshot Lea. Nevertheless, the Independents finished in a happier position than the Lib Dems, and ahead of them in many of the wards. In a constituency regarded as a marginal in the run-up to the general election just two years ago, it was an upset of Titanic proportions for the Lib Dems. For the first time in Waverley's history, Farnham has no Liberal or Lib Dem councillors on the borough council. The only Lib Dem to retain any seat in Farnham was the Mayor of Farnham, David Attfield, who will fly the party flag alone on the town council, alongside 14 Conservatives and three Independents. South West Surrey MP Jeremy Hunt, speaking at 3 am at Farnham Sports Centre with the borough count there almost complete, commented: "It must be the best result the Conservatives have had in the country." Opinions were divided over the reason for the scale of their victory. Discontent over the handling of the East Street redevelopment by the Lib Dems, and the Tories before them, was expected to have an impact, but will not have affected voting outside Farnham. The borough council was, however, among more than 30 local authorities nationwide that had introduced alternate weekly waste collections and saw ruling parties of all political persuasions fall. Willy Marshall, who lost the seat he has held for the Lib Dems in Hale and Heath End for 17 years, mentioned the "David Cameron and Jeremy Hunt factor" and also blamed the Independents for spliting the Lib Dem vote. He regarded it as "total disaster for Farnham". "My prediction is council tax will go up under the Conservatives, as it did last time. The losers are going to be the people of Farnham, especially on East Street," he declared. But Victor Duckett, Independent group leader, gave short shrift to the suggestion that the Independents' participation in the election was responsible for the Lib Dems' demise. "Politics is politics and I don't feel particular sympathy to any of them that lost their seats. They weren't even a good third. "It wasn't us, it was the electorate. They made mistakes and they paid for it." He admitted to disappointment at the number of seats won by WIN, but added: "Don't forget, six weeks ago WIN didn't exist. We fought a great campaign and funded it all ourselves. It's hard to break the party mould, but hopefully we have started something which can gather momentum." Mark Norris, the deposed leader of Farnham Town Council, who failed to gain a seat on Waverley by just three votes, after three recounts in the Badshot Lea and Weybourne ward, put Tory success down to "learning how to campaign again". "They have been wearing out their shoe-leather, they have put in the work," he said. Their efforts even included a "dawn raid" on polling day, with a leaflet drop at 5 am reminding those who had pledged to vote Conservative to turn out. It appears to have borne fruit, with turnout figures in individual wards typically up by 20 to 25 per cent. But Mr Norris believed delivering on their "spin" could be a tall order for the Conservatives. "They have built up a lot of expectations. They have to keep council tax down, introduce a new waste collection system, come up with an East Street that people want, ensure there's no redevelopment and then save the A & E at the Royal Surrey. "And it isn't all within their hands to do it." Gillian Ferguson regarded the Tories' huge majority as "devastation" for Waverley. "Now you've got Surrey and the borough and Farnham Town Council all Conservative. I don't believe people really wanted to see that," she said. "To have a controlling Conservative party is about the most frightening thing the electorate could wish for." Conservative David Munro, who took back the Shortheath and Boundstone seat that he lost four years ago, commented: "It was apparent when we started our campaign six weeks ago that we were in for something extraordinary. "Once we got on the doorstep, it was pretty clear there was a sea change, but I didn't expect anything of this magnitude "People were talking bins, East Street and overdevelopment, and those were the things we concentrated on." Mr Munro said his party's pledges on these issues had been very carefully crafted. "We have the mandate and we will be held accountable for those pledges." Richard Gates, leader of the Conservative group on Waverley, said they would rise to the challenge:. "We are looking forward to implementing all aspects of our Waverley-wide manifesto as soon as possible, and to working with towns and parishes to achieve the best outcome right across the board." He paid tribute to outgoing Lib Dem leader Gillian Ferguson: "Gillian had a taxing two years as leader, and she grappled hard with some difficult issues, including those within her own party. Some good initiatives were started, and we will build upon those as well as progressing our new ideas," he said. MP Jeremy Hunt commented: "Of course I am delighted that my local team was able to achieve such a convincing victory in Waverley, especially as the turnout was so high. However we must remember that what the electorate gives the electorate can take away.  "The overwhelming mandate was based on immense frustration - over East Street in Farnham, rubbish collection and the lack of local control on planning. We now need to set about diligently and humbly putting things right - which will be an enormous challenge given the precarious finances we have inherited from the Liberal Democrats." He added: "I am incredibly proud of my team of councillors. We have a lot of new and younger very talented councillors who will bring a new perspective to the problems of Waverley." The Conservative group will formally become Waverley's new administration at a meeting on Tuesday next week. At the meeting councillors will elect Waverley's Mayor and Deputy Mayor for the coming year, its leader and deputy and make appointments to the executive and other committees. "Then," observed Tory deputy leader Pat Frost, "the hard work starts." Composition of the new councils Waverley Borough Council: Conservatives, 51; Independent, 3; Liberal Democrat, 3. Farnham Town Council: Conservatives, 14; Independent, 3; Liberal Democrat, 1.