The latest batch of opinion polls point to a poor local election result for Labour and a rise in support for minor parties.

Ahead of this week's council polls, ministers appear to be facing yet another blow.

A YouGov survey for the Sunday Times placed Labour on 32 per cent, the Conservatives on 35 per cent and the Liberal Democrats on 18 per cent.

Other smaller parties saw support rise from eight to 15 per cent, suggesting the public could switch to other parties on Thursday.

The poll also gave Tony Blair a net performance rating of minus 31 points, compared to plus 20 points for David Cameron, minus one for Sir Menzies Campbell and plus four for Gordon Brown.

A separate ICM poll for the Sunday Express put Labour support on 27 per cent, the Conservatives on 29 per cent and 22 per cent for the Lib Dems.

It also put the Green Party on six per cent, the BNP on four per cent and the UK Independence Party on three points.

And it revealed that while 56 per cent of the public thought David Cameron had done a 'good job', only 21 per cent said they were more likely to vote for his party.

A BPIX survey for the Mail on Sunday, meanwhile, had Labour on just 26 per cent.

The Conservatives were ahead on 35 per cent, while the Liberal Democrats are on 23 per cent.

The survey also gave the BNP five per cent, the Greens four per cent, while the UKIP and Respect were both on two per cent.