Kent Police say they have received reports of electoral fraud in the Thanet South constituency where UKIP's Nigel Farage stood.

Mr Farage failed in his attempt to win the seat, with Tory candidate Craig Mackinlay emerging victorious.

The UKIP leader secured 16,026 votes to Mr Mackinlay's 18,838.

A Kent Police spokesman said: "Kent Police has received a report of electoral fraud. Inquiries are ongoing."

The force later said its initial inquiries had so far found "no evidence" of voter fraud in the campaign.

Claims of suspicious behaviour were first made online following a lengthy delay in declaring the seat's results at Margate's Winter Gardens.

Then the hashtag #thanetrigged gained momentum on Twitter when UKIP won in the local council election, with the party taking control of the authority.

Some users said the council triumph seemed unusual given Mr Farage's defeat.

Mr Farage quit as party leader after he failed to win, but his resignation was rejected by the national executive committee and he remains as leader.

Thanet District Council said in a statement: "A single complaint has been lodged with Kent Police by a member of the public, from outside of the county, with concerns around the Thanet parliamentary election - following speculation on social media.

"Kent Police has an obligation to follow up this complaint. Thanet District Council is not under investigation for election fraud.

"The council's returning officer is satisfied that the correct processes were followed and a member of the Electoral Commission was present at the election in Thanet.

"In response to the speculation on social media: Thanet's parliamentary boundary is larger than the district boundary - extending into the Canterbury and Dover area - so comparing the parliamentary and district election results is misleading. There were no lost or stolen ballot papers."