Ruth Davidson has hailed a Conservative victory in a council by-election as a “fantastic result”.

The Scottish Conservative leader was speaking after her party retained a seat in the Haddington and Lammermuir constituency of East Lothian Council.

The by-election was sparked by the resignation of Conservative councillor Brian Small, with fellow Tory Craig Hoy voted in to take his place.

He polled 2,212 first preference votes, ahead of the SNP’s Lorraine Glass on 1,866.

Labour’s Neal Black won 1,359 votes, Stuart Crawford of the Liberal Democrats polled 774, and Ukip candidate David Sisson secured 108.

Ms Davidson said: “This is a fantastic result for the Scottish Conservatives and I know Craig Hoy will be a superb, hard-working local councillor for Haddington and surrounding villages.

“With the Scottish Conservatives topping the poll, it provides further evidence that voters are deserting the Labour Party in their droves.

“Even in areas where they were once strong, people now view Labour as too weak to take on the SNP.

“It is only the Scottish Conservatives which offer a positive message to take Scotland forward and bring the country back together.”

Mr Hoy said: “This result shows that the clear dividing line in Scottish politics is between us and the SNP.

“By focusing on local issues and warning of the dangers of a second independence referendum, we’ve secured a clear victory over Labour and the SNP in Haddington and the Lammermuirs.”