A FORMER BNP candidate stockpiled explosive chemicals, weapons and food because he thought Britain was heading for civil war.

Robert Cottage, 49, admitted possessing explosives because he thought the "political and financial condition of the country" would lead the nation into meltdown.

A court heard yesterday that he and dentist David Jackson, 62, joined forces in a plot to cause an explosion. The pair deny this charge.

And Cottage's wife, who prompted a police invest-igation after telling a social worker he had stored chemicals and crossbows, said her husband wanted to "shoot Prime Minister Tony Blair and Pendle Liberal Democrat peer Lord Tony Greaves".

Manchester Crown Court was told officers searched Cottage's home and found chemicals including amm-onia and gunpowder ingre-dient potassium nitrate.

Prosecuting Louise Blackwell said they also found a nuclear protection suit, air rifles, crosssbows, petrol, gas canisters and recipes' from The Anarchist Cookbook which detailed how to make petrol bombs and grenades.

The court was also told Cottage, a BNP candidate for Vivary Bridge ward of Colne in last year's local elections, had gathered enough food to survive for up to five years.

Cottage, who was a minibus driver for Lancashire County Council, had been stockpiling the chemicals, weapons and food at his Talbot Street home in Colne in the event of an attack on his family, the court heard.

Cottage's barrister, Alistair Webster, said his client was a former BNP candidate and had been the subject of threats.

Mr Webster said that his client believed the "political and financial condition of the country" would lead to civil war within the coming years.

The barrister said Cottage had intended to use the chemicals to create "thunder fire which would frighten not injure"' people who he thought might be mounting an attack on his home.

He said his client accepted the charge on the basis that the explosives were designed to deter attacks on his property.

Mr Webster said that this premise was not accepted by the prosecution.

Miss Blackwell said Cottage had ordered a large amount of chemicals from the internet after Jackson, of Trent Road, Nelson, drew up an extensive list of dangerous ingredients and gave him a cheque for £400.

Three large boxes of materials were delivered to Cottage's home.

In a statement read to the court his wife Kerena, 29, said her husband had been preparing himself for a civil war and the emergence of a "new world order".

She said: "He kept crossbows and started stockpiling food. He told me we had enough to survive for four to five years."

Mrs Cottage said her husband, who she had known for 10 years, had shown her and his 16-year-old son Alex how to shoot a gun.

She said Cottage, who works as a driver for Lancashire County Council's Travelshare Scheme, transporting disabled children, joined the British National Party four years ago.

Mrs Cottage said: "Rob was becoming very radical in his views and opinions.

"The BNP made my marriage suffer. It drove a wedge between us."

The couple had gone through a trial separation and Mrs Cottage, who the court was told, suffers mental health problems, had gone into respite care.

However, they were reunited at the time chemicals arrived at their home, the court heard.

Mrs Cottage described her husband as "opinionated and religious" adding: "Rob prays to God all the time in his head."

Cottage had also been listening to internet broadcasts about conspiracy theories including that George Bush had known about the 9/11 attack.

The court was told Cottage met Jackson three years ago when Mrs Cottage questioned her husband about the delivery of chemicals in September 2006. She said he told her they belonged to Jackson.

Cottage's elderly mother Barbara, who was called as a prosecution witness, told the jury he was a "good son" who called into her house every day after work.

She admitted he had strong views on illegal immigrants and had told her he wanted to shoot Prime Minister Tony Blair. But she said: "We all say these things"

The jury was shown pictures of stacks of tins of food and large quantities of pasta, rice and sugar.

His mother said: "He was sure that one day there would be upheaval he was making a little store to support his family and other young families in his street."

But in her "honest opinion" he would not harm others.

Fellow BNP member Robert Storey said had met Cottage through the party and had often been to his home to deliver the Voice of Freedom magazine.

He said Cottage was "kind, full of sincerity and goodness."

Police recovered Cottage's computer from his home and found it contained a document entitled The Anarchist Cookbook' which told how to create explosives with bleach along with information on using sugar and rice as explosives.

Defending, Mr Webster pointed out that there was no proof the documents had been read and that access records could have been created by routine computer virus scanners.

Police were unable to thoroughly check Cottage's internet history as a program called Cyberscrub had been used to wipe it out, the court was told.

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