MP: Just keep off the streets

The veteran Labour backbencher is to consult with police chiefs and the council as a matter of urgency on what can be done to prevent further disturbances.

He said he would return to the town from London at a moment's notice if it would help soothe feelings running high.

An alarmed Mr Pike, a former leader of the town's council, said: "My first message is to appeal to people to be calm, to stay at home, to stay off the streets and not have any further rioting.

"That is an appeal to the people of both communities. I am deeply concerned at the weekend's events and I am asking for the police to provide me a full update on the latest situation.

"I have been seeking a meeting with the new Chief Superintendent from the division, John Knowles, and I hope to meet him soon. I shall also be speaking to Burnley's chief executive Gillian Taylor.

"I will also talk to community leaders if that would be helpful. It is important that people stay calm and we do not have a repeat of the events. I shall raise the matter at Westminster if people think that would be helpful. However, if it will just fuel the situation I shall not.

"I am not going to make any detailed comments until I know the full situation. It's very easy to jump to the wrong conclusions in these situations. Although I am going to Westminster today, if people think that my return to Burnley would help soothe things or resolve things, I will come straight back.

"The most important thing is that people stay off the street and give a chance for things to cool down."

But he refused to call for extra resources for the town saying: "If you start giving out extra money as a result of rioting, that only makes things worse and fuels violence.

"What we need now is for people to calm down and then we can look at why it happened and what can be done."

The Bishop of Burnley, the Rt Rev John Goddard, has spoken of his sadness and disappointment at the weekend's events.

He has also made a plea for calm in all sections of the community.

Bishop Goddard said: "I believe we have to be calm and not allow the temperature to rise. We yet don't know fully the causes behind this.

"Something has happened in the local community which has sparked this off but we don't yet know what it is.

"My first reaction is sadness that this should happen in Burnley where there has been so much co-operation in the past."

Bishop Goddard and local community leaders attended a meeting with Burnley Council officials on Friday to discuss the regeneration policies for the Stoneyholme and Daneshouse areas.

That was before the trouble began and part of an ongoing situation.

It was a sharing of views and seeking to support the council for the regeneration of the Stoneyholme area where there were problems, not least poor housing.

Bishop Goddard said he and deputy mayor Coun Rafique Malik had discussed plans to call a meeting in a month's time to further develop the whole issue of working together across faith and racial patterns so that the diversity of Burnley could, as it had in the past, continue to be positive and creative.

He added: "There is ongoing local work between community leaders across the board.

"Sadly something has happened in the local community to spark this off this weekend.

"It is extremely sad when Burnley Council and other organisations are seeking to develop such good practice.

"I am sad and disappointed that this should have happened."