A Tory MP was left in tears in a BBC interview as her party was dealt an astonishingly brutal local election wipeout by the Lib Dems.
Vicky Ford put her head in her hands as she became visibly upset in Chelmsford - where the anti-Brexit party overturned a 45-seat Tory majority to seize control.
The Essex council is among a string of Home Counties, Brexiteer heartlands where the Tories lost overall control overnight - along with Basildon, Southend-on-Sea and Folkestone & Hythe.
But the incredible scale of the wipeout in Chelmsford, where the Lib Dems gained 26 seats and the Tories lost 31, took Ms Ford by surprise.
She admitted there were Tory voters "staying at home frustrated at the uncertainty over Brexit ."
Asked for her reaction, she apologised to the BBC interviewer as she put her head in her hands and took several seconds to regain her composure.
Local election results explained: Tories lose HUNDREDS of seats as Labour struggle
Local election results in full: Summary of all 248 council polls across England
After a pause she said she was "really disappointed" as Tory councillors had "worked their absolute socks off".
The Conservatives in Chelmsford went from 52 seats to just 21, a result Ms Ford later described as "brutal" on Twitter.
Voters dealt a blow to both main parties in their heartlands over the Brexit chaos in a bruising night of local elections.
The Tories lost hundreds of seats as local councillors were punished for a Parliament in chaos.
But Labour failed to seize the spoils from the Tories' loss - with huge gains instead going to the Lib Dems, who Local elections: Lib Dems hail 'best ever' night as anti-Brexit party makes huge gains
Voters Brexit row erupts as local election voters cast 'a plague on your both houses' polling expert John Curtice said.
Local elections: Lib Dems hail 'best ever' night as anti-Brexit party makes huge gains
CONSERVATIVE GAINS
Walsall: Cons gain from No Overall Control. C gain 2, Lab lose 2. New council: C 32, Lab 26, LD 2
North East Lincolnshire: Cons gain from No Overall Control. C gain 5, UKIP gain 1, Lab lose 4, LD lose 1, Ind lose 1. New council: C 23, Lab 14, LD 4, UKIP 1
Brexit row erupts as local election voters cast 'a plague on your both houses'
CONSERVATIVE LOSSES
Basildon: Cons lose to No Overall Control. Lab gain 2, Ind gain 2, C lose 4. New council: C 20, Lab 15, Ind 6, UKIP 1
Tandridge: Cons lose to No Overall Control. R gain 3, LD gain 2, Ind gain 1, C lose 6. New council: C 16, LD 11, Ind 8, R 7.
Peterborough: LD gain 2, Lab gain 1, Green gain 1, C lose 3, UKIP lose 1. New council: C 28, Lab 17, LD 9, Ind 3, Green 2, Lib 1C lose to NOC
Southend-on-Sea: Cons lose to No Overall Control. Lab gain 3, LD gain 3, Ind gain 2, C lose 8. New council: C 20, Lab 14, Ind 12, LD 5
St Albans: LD gain 7, C lose 7. New council: LD 25, C 23, Lab 6, Ind 3, Green 1
Worcester: Green gain 1, C lose 1. New council: C 17, Lab 15, Green 3
Winchester: LD gain 5, C lose 5. New council: LD 27, C 18
Welwyn Hatfield: LD gain 4, C lose 2, Lab lose 2. New council: C 23, Lab 13, LD 12
Folkestone & Hythe: Lab gain 6, Green gain 6, LD gain 2, C lose 10, UKIP lose 2, Ind lose 2. New council: C 13, Lab 6, Green 6, UKIP 2, LD 2, Ind 1
North Kesteven: Ind gain from C. Ind gain 8, C lose 8. New council: Ind 22, C 20, Vacant 1
Tendring: Cons lose to No Overall Control. Ind up 5, Lab up 2, LD up 1, C down 17, R down 3 New council: Ind 17, C 16, Lab 6, UKIP 5, LD 2, Vacant 2
Broxtowe: Lab gain 3, LD gain 1, Ind gain 1, C lose 5. New council: C 20, Lab 14, LD 5, Ind 3, Vacant 2
South Oxfordshire: LD gain 10, Green gain 5, Lab gain 2, R gain 2, C lose 17, Ind lose 2. New council: LD 12, C 10, Green 5, R 3, Lab 3, Ind 3
Chelmsford: LD gain 26, Ind gain 5, C lose 31. New council: LD 31, C 21, Ind 5
