TORY Greg Knight has more than doubled his majority to sail to a third successive election victory in East Yorkshire.

The result was announced at about 2.45am following a four-and-a-half hour count at Driffield Sports Centre.

An exhausted but jubilant Mr Knight swept home with 24,328 votes, finishing comfortably ahead of the Liberal Democrats, who leap-frogged the Labour Party to clinch second place by a narrow margin.

He said the electors had recognised he was an MP who worked tirelessly to address the issues that they raised with him.

“I am delighted with the result,” he told The Press after the result was announced. “But I am also very tired because it has been a gruelling campaign."

Mr Knight secured a vastly increased majority of nearly 13,500 – more than double his majority of 6,283 in the 2005 General Election.

The turn-out was about 64 per cent, which was three per cent higher than in 2005.