An Independent councillor elected to a Tilbury and Grays ward last May has switched to join the Conservative party.

Just last July Allen Mayes posted on his Facebook page: "This calamity Tory Council has got to go. People deserve a council which values residents and spends their hard earned money wisely."

Today the Tilbury Riverside and Thurrock Park ward councillor who swept to victory with a 283 vote majority over sitting Labour candidate Clare Baldwin (and the Tory candidate was 609 votes behind polling just 103 votes) announced he was switching allegiance.

He said: "With so much to be done in Tilbury it is clear having a Conservative councillor in the town would help ensure that it happens.

"The Conservative Government has already promised up to £25m to improve Tilbury, locally the Conservative run council is paying for extra dedicated police officers for the town and has worked with me over the dust issue.

"Seeing the difference it has made nationally to have a majority in Parliament it is the right time to help ensure the Conservatives locally  can achieve the same at Thurrock Council."

Thurrock Council leader Rob Gledhill said: "I welcome Cllr Mayes to the Conservatives and I know he will be an asset to the group.

"Allen has worked hard for his residents on a wide range of issues from the dust and air quality in the town to organising litter pick ups and I know that will continue.

"Apart from having the honour of being the first Conservative councillor in Tilbury he has also been asked to sit on the board who will look at bringing improvements to the town using the town centre improvement funding."

Cllr Mayes' defection appears to be the latest toll in the death knell for the Independent Group on the council, which was formed by an alliance of former UKIP candidates.

Group leader Cllr Luke Spillman and another independent, Jack Duffin, recently announced they would be quitting their roles after next May's election.

Cllr Mayes, along with the success of a couple of other independents last May, was among the first of the independent group to be elected under that name.