LABOUR held off the BNP in Gorse Hill and Pinehurst but the extreme right-wing party said they would be back.

Labour candidate Maurice Fanning picked up 825 votes, followed by Conservative Rex Barnett with 421.

The BNP's Reg Bates came in third with 319 votes, followed by the Liberal Democrats' David Pajak on 169, independent Clive Hunt (154) and Socialist Unity candidate Roy North (109).

Mr Bates said the campaign had showed the people of Swindon supported the BNP.

He said the party regarded the campaign as a success and would be back.

"I'm pleased that we beat the Liberal Democrats and Socialist Unity," Mr Bates said.

"That's a total victory for commonsense. I will definitely look at standing again."

Both Mr Bates and Wiltshire BNP spokesman Robert Baggs rejected criticism contained in anti-BNP pamphlets that the party had connections to paedophiles, Nazis and nail bombers.

"I would just say it's speculation," Mr Bates said.

He said the BNP has strict rules on who could stand for the party at elections.

"I was told by the BNP executive that I could not stand if I had a criminal record," said Mr Bates.

Mr Baggs said the "new BNP" was a democratic party that should be allowed to join the political debate.

"People bring up all sorts of things tenuously linked to the BNP of the past," Mr Baggs said.

"We would actually like to debate with the other parties."

Labour winner and sitting councillor Maurice Fanning was ill and did not attend the count at the Oasis leisure centre.

Accepting the victory for him, Labour leader Kevin Small said the win was a very good result but it was "sad that the BNP got as many votes as they did".

"Congratulations to the people of Gorse Hill for not being duped by the BNP," said Coun Small.

He hoped the defeat showed Swindon rejected the BNP and they would not return.

Conservative leader Mike Bawden said the 319 votes for the BNP showed there was concern about immigration.

He said the major parties had a responsibility to tackle the issue and deny the BNP a platform.

"I'm pleased they didn't win," Coun Bawden said.

"I don't think that would have been in the best interests of Swindon.

"The main parties have to realise there is a considerable concern about immigration.

"The present Government has not controlled adequately people coming in to the United Kingdom.

"It's playing in to the hands of organisations like theirs."

Coun Small called Coun Bawden's criticism a "cheap jibe".

"We in this council have always said we would fight united against fascism," he said.

The bitter campaign for the traditionally Labour ward began with the announcement by Mr Bates, a 53-year-old part time cleaner who has lived in Swindon most of his life, that he was standing for the BNP against over-development.

His opponents said he was standing for hatred, racism and bigotry.

In a flyer passed around the ward just days before the election, Swindon Against Facism accused the BNP of "paedophile shame" and being Nazis.

Mr Bates said there was no need to talk about the BNP's anti-immigration and asylum stance everybody knows where they stand.

"It's just to restore some common sense to local government and to get some autonomy," Mr Bates said ahead of the election.

He said the BNP has separate planning and development policies, but all the policies on the party's website hark back to overdevelopment being caused by too many immigrants and asylum seekers.

The party wants immigrants repatriated, National Service reintroduced and favourable treatment for British-born people ahead of ethnic groups it claims receive unfair advantages.

The BNP attracted condemnation early in the campaign with Labour Government minister Phil Woolas coming to Swindon to tell residents to "vote for anyone ahead of the BNP".

"You want the BNP in Swindon like you want a hole in the head," Mr Woolas said.

He urged residents not to believe the rumours unleashed by the BNP in the lead up to the vote.

Swindon Against Fascism (SAF) took its anti-BNP campaign to the streets with two days of action ahead of the election.

Supporters of the coalition split in to small groups delivering their anti-BNP message through a series of leaflets.

SAF coordinator and union organiser Hugh Kirkbride called on the voters of Gorse Hill and Pinehurst to boycott the party.