The leader of Blackburn with Darwen Council said communities had worked hard to ensure that the weekend passed off peacefully.

A so-called ‘anti-immigration’ protest was due to take place on Saturday but only a handful of people turned out.

A much larger counter-protest involving more than 150 people also took place opposite the town hall. This group dispersed in the afternoon.

Both events passed off peacefully and the police and local volunteers were commended for their handling of what was a 'tense' situation.

Leader of Blackburn with Darwen Council, Cllr Phil Riley, said: “As a town and as a community, it was reassuring that Saturday’s demonstration passed off peacefully and with none of the violence that has been seen in many other towns and cities.

“Good planning by the various emergency services and a strong police presence clearly worked and we hope that this will be the last such provocation that we see in Blackburn.

“The scenes from towns and cities across the country have appalled every rightminded person. This is not protest; there is no place in civilised society for this outpouring of hate and violence.

“We welcome and support those fleeing terror and persecution to rebuild their lives.

“Our strength has always been in our diversity and many of our residents will be affected by the violence in some way, especially given the widespread misinformation circulating on social media.”

Cllr Riley added: “We are working with our partners to look at what we can do to support our communities locally and with the police to ensure our residents feel safe and protected.

“We want the town centre to be vibrant and busy for the sake of all the traders and demonstrations of any sort simply don’t help with that objective.

"There will continue to be an increased visible Police presence in the coming days to ensure the safety of our communities.”

The council urged victims of hate crimes to report incidents.

A message read: “If you become aware of any other activity/events being organised then please report it to the police.

"To report a crime or hate incidents, please call 999 for emergencies and 101 for non–emergencies.”