BRITISH National Party councillors have been told to come clean over their policies after being accused of failing to take part in a council debate for 14 months.

The party was criticised after refusing to put party policy to the test more than a year after their first members were elected and two months after they temporarily became the official opposition on Burnley Council.

The far right party -- which has eight seats on the council following the elections -- has frequently been criticised for failing to take part in debate at the council.

Opposition leaders slammed the party's failure to discuss their policies as a scandal after a council motion last night called on them to put their policies forward.

The motion was passed, with only the eight BNP councillors voting against.

But the leader of the BNP Len Starr, of Hapton with Park ward, said he wanted his party as newly elected members to listen to debate and prepare for the time when they would be the party in power.

Six new members of the BNP took their seats for the second time since their success in the local elections in May, along with Carole Hughes and David Edwards who gained seats last year.

Outside, police mounted an operation involving 100 officers to contain a small demonstration by Anti Nazi League protesters.

One man was arrested and was due to appear in court today after being charged with racially aggravated public order.

Police had been granted special powers to stop and search anyone in the borough.

Inside the chamber, Council leader Stuart Caddy said: "I am absolutely furious with the BNP. We raised questions about their position and mentioned specific policies and they have refused to debate those policies.

"I have waited 14 months for a debate with the BNP and all they can do is vote against the motion.

"I challenge Coun Starr and the BNP to tell people what they are all about."

Labour's Peter Kenyon said: "It is part of the democratic process that parties seeking election should put any policies to the test of debate, not just with the electorate but with the rest of the membership to which they have become elected.

"The BNP make great play about their commitment to democracy and their legitimacy as a political party now they need to take part in debating their policies."

He called on the party to put two of the policies he said was in their election literature, taking the housing stock run by Burnley and Padiham Community Housing back into council ownership and setting up an all-white taxi firm, to council debate.

But Coun Len Starr said: "As newly elected members we have come to this council chamber with little or no experience and we are here to learn and to prepare for the time when we increase our numbers and we become the ruling body on the council."

Leader of the Liberal Democrats Gordon Birtwistle said: "The fact that the BNP are not prepared to come forward and tell people what their policies are is an absolute scandal."