Labour has retained its safe seat of Middlesbrough in a parliamentary by-election with Andy McDonald polling over 60% of votes.

In another good result for UKIP, who also came second in Rotherham, they beat the Coalition parties into third and fourth place.

Former Middlesbrough councillor McDonald secured 10,201 votes - some 8,211 ahead of Ukip's Richard Elvin on 1,990, whose party came sixth in the seat in the 2010 general election.

Both coalition parties preserved their deposits, but Liberal Democrat George Selmer took only 1,672 votes and Conservative Ben Houchen 1,063 - just three votes ahead of the candidate standing for the Peace Party.

Labour's majority of 48.68% was well up on the 26% margin recorded in 2010 by Sir Stuart Bell, whose death last month triggered the contest.

Mr McDonald, a Middlesbrough-born solicitor for trade union firm Thompsons, said the election result was a message to the Coalition.

"You don't understand us, you don't speak for us and you are a government that clearly doesn't care about us," he said.

"Middlesbrough, I promise to fight for you and I will not let you down.

"Tonight you have a new voice in Westminster, a voice that will speak up for working families who are having their budgets squeezed, young people who are struggling to find their first job and the millions ignored by this Tory-led government which thinks the priority is to cut tax for millionaires."

Ukip candidate Mr Elvin said the result, which follows his party's second place in Rotherham, proved there was a desire for change.

He said: "There can be no doubt that Ukip is on the up.

"Ukip is now the only political party which we can truly say can take the fight to Labour in the North East.

"As the weeks and days go by, more and more people get to know our policies and as soon as they get to know them, they come and vote for us and join us, as they have in Middlesbrough.

"We will continue to take the fight to the three old parties that have failed this country so terribly over the past few decades."

Sir Stuart died last month aged 74 following a short illness. He had been the town's MP since 1983.

Middlesbrough is one of three by-elections which took place yesterday for which Labour secured a clean sweep.

The others were Rotherham, won by Sarah Champion, and Croydon North, won by Steve Reed.

Full results

Andy McDonald (Lab) 10,201 (60.48%, +14.60%)

Richard Elvin (Ukip) 1,990 (11.80%, +8.10%)

George Selmer (LD) 1,672 (9.91%, -10.00%)

Ben Houchen (C) 1,063 (6.30%, -12.48%)

Imdad Hussain (Peace) 1,060 (6.28%)

Peter Foreman (BNP) 328 (1.94%, -3.90%)

John Malcolm (TUSC) 277 (1.64%)

Mark Heslehurst (ND) 275 (1.63%)

Lab maj 8,211 (48.68%)