Voters have vented their anger at the two main parties over the continuing Brexit deadlock as both the Tories and Labour suffered losses in the English council elections.

The results of the Dorset Council elections are expected later today.

Conservatives previously dominated the former Dorset County County so the party will be nervous amid losses around the country.

Around the country, Conservatives shed more than 400 seats and 16 councils in early results, with voters apparently expressing frustration at the Government's failure to deliver Brexit as promised on March 29.

There were calls from Tory MPs for Theresa May's removal as leader, with senior Brexiteer Sir Bernard Jenkin warning that the party would be "toast" unless it "mends its ways pretty quickly".

But Labour also struggled, losing seats at a point in the electoral cycle when they could expect to be making significant gains at the expense of the Government.

In contrast, the Liberal Democrats were enjoying a good night, with some predictions that they could pick up as many as 500 seats.

With results in from 109 of the 248 councils where elections are being held, the Conservatives had lost 409 seats and Labour 60, while the Lib Dems had gained 283 and the Greens 35.

There were 85 more independent councillors, while Ukip lost eight.

With some analysts predicting overall Tory loses of 800 seats or more, Brexit Minister James Cleverly suggested it would be a good result if they could be kept down to 500.

"If it was 500 rather than 1,000 I would be happy with that," he said.

The Conservatives lost Peterborough, Basildon, Southend, Worcester, St Albans, Welwyn Hatfield, Folkestone and Hythe, Broxtowe, Tendring and Tandridge to no overall control while Winchester, Chelmsford, Bath and North East Somerset, Somerset Wesand Taunton, Vale of White Horse, Cotswold and Hinckley and Bosworth fell to the Liberal Democrats, with North Kesteven going to independents.

However the party held on in the bellwether council of Swindon, seen as a possible Labour gain, and took Walsall and North East Lincolnshire from no overall control.

Education Minister Nadhim Zahawi said the losses reflected the anger among voters over Brexit and called on MPs to rally behind Theresa May's deal.

Sir Bernard Jenkin said voters overwhelmingly believed that she had "lost the plot" and that the time had come for a change of leader.

Labour meanwhile lost control in Bolsover, Hartlepool and Wirral and the mayoralty in Middlesbrough, where its vote was down 11% as independent Andy Preston was elected, although it did gain Trafford from no overall control.

Even where the party held on in its traditional stronghold of Sunderland, which voted heavily for Brexit in the 2016 referendum, it still lost 10 council seats.