The last communist to hold public office in Britain has been replaced after a council by-election in Fife.

Willie Clarke resigned as a councillor in June after suffering ill health.

The 81-year-old had held public office for 43 years.

Clarke was first elected to the council in 1973 as a member of the Communist Party of Great Britain.

While Clarke was in office he witnessed the world change with the fall of the Berlin Wall, the collapse of the Soviet Union, Communist China developing a free market economy and the ending of the Cold War hostilities between Cuba and the United States.

He served his final years in office as technically as an independent but still stood by his communist beliefs.

His seat is now held by Scottish Labour's Mary Lockhart after her by-election win on Thursday.

The Lochs council by-election result:

All Scottish council seats will next be contested in national local government elections in May 2017.