The Tories, who took four seats from Labour, including St Chad's, the former stronghold of Ryhope and two in Washington, now say they can win control of Sunderland City Council at the next election in 2010.

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The party also picked up a seat in Doxford previously held by Labour defector George Blyth, who stood down after representing the ward as an independent.

And independent candidates campaigning against the controversial landfill site at Houghton took seats from Labour in both the Copt Hill and Doxford wards.

Labour did make one gain, retaking Hendon, which had been represented by former council leader Bryn Sidaway, who quit to become an independent before retiring from politics this year.

Tory leader Councillor Lee Martin said the Conservative gains last night would cause a "domino effect" and see his group control Sunderland after the next council elections in two year's time.

He said: "The big thing that's key is people believing we can win – and I don't believe there's anyone in Sunderland now that doesn't believe the Conservatives can win.

"It's only 10 years ago we were down to four seats in Sunderland – we've got 22 now."

He pointed out that last night Labour won 13 seats and the opposition 12. "Hardly the Labour stronghold people thought it might have been," he said.

"If you count the four independents and the one Lib Dem, it would only take Labour to lose another 10 seats and they've lost Sunderland," he said.

And when asked what the Tories success was down to, Coun Martin replied: "Gordon Brown."

He added that the row over axing the 10p tax-rate, which saw millions of low-earners worse off, had seen Labour "decimate" its own core vote.