ANTI-RACISM campaigners and politicians said it was "sad" and "shameful'' after the far-right increased its tally of council seats in the County.

In Burnley, the extremist group won five extra seats to take its total to eight and become the second biggest party on the council behind Labour's 24 seats.

However, in Oldham there were violent clashes between demonstrators and BNP supporters after the right wing party's leader Nick Griffin failed miserably.

Burnley's Labour MP Peter Pike said of the BNP: "They are a racist, divisive party."

"Questions must be asked as to how at this stage of a Labour Government are the Tories and Liberals not in a position where they are picking up votes."

The MP added it was a "sad blow" that the council's deputy leader Andrew Tatchell had been ousted.

Labour activist Shahid Malik, said it was "shameful" that the BNP fielded more candidates than the Tories and Lib Dems in Burnley.

But he added the BNP success should be kept in perspective considering it had just 16 seats out of some 22,000 in the country.

A Liberal Democrat spokesman said all three parties needed to learn the lessons of the BNP's success.

"All parties need to get out there and convince the electorate that we offer a genuine and far more productive alternative," he said.

In Oldham demonstrators traded punches and kicks with BNP supporters before police moved in.

Local MP Michael Meacher, who was at the count and who beat Mr Griffin in the 2001 general election, said the BNP's performance in the town was "a spectacular reversal".

Nationally, the BNP won only 11 new seats and successfully defended two more. Three other councillors were not up for election.

Chair of the CRE Trever Phillips said mainstream political parties had much work to do,

"The BNP have won more seats but this has largely been localised in places such as Burnley. In areas where they made the biggest push such as Sunderland and Oldham they did not make any headway showing that there is very little appetite amongst the electorate for racism and division.

"Whilst I don't believe that the people of Burnley thought that they were voting in favour of racism, I also don't think that they were under any illusions about what the BNP stand for."