Conservative Matthew Barber looked relieved and exhausted on Saturday afternoon after his re-election as Thames Valley Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) was confirmed.

Both he and Labour rival Tim Starkey – who was equally cagey – have fought a close-run campaign in recent weeks.

Following the Tories suffering their worst local election results in years over the last 24 hours, the mood here in the room at Newbury Racecourse was edgy to say the least.

Mr Barber – the current PCC – and his election agent Joseph Clarke were pacing nervously up and down the counting tables piled with ballot papers.

READ MORE: Conservative Matthew Barber re-elected Thames Valley Police and Crime Commissioner

Both the Conservative incumbent and Mr Starkey believed that the Labour candidate had a very real chance of winning.

Once all the votes were in, the two men shook hands and praised each other’s campaigns – and both breathed a deep sigh of relief.

There were plenty of laughs from both camps and even a few tears from members of Mr Starkey’s team.

With only 25 per cent of the electorate voting, the PCC election remains one of the elections with the worst turnouts.

So, covering this election has been interesting, especially explaining to people what the PCC role actually is – a large part of which is holding the force to account.

With results coming in thick and fast today, journalists from ITV, the BBC and Press Association gathered in the media area at Newbury gasped when there were just a few hundred votes in the race at one stage. It has been a nervy day all round!

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