POLICE and MP Gordon Prentice today appealed for information after a Pendle councillor claimed terrorist organisations linked to al Qaeda were recruiting in the area.

Borough councillor Mohammad Iqbal said recruiting cells from outside the borough have been to the town to exploit unease at the impending war with Iraq. He added that the terror group responsible for the 9/11 attack in 2001 is targeting young Asians in the town.

A police spokesman in Nelson said he was not aware of the recruiting rings operating in the town, but that any complaints would be taken seriously. Supt Steve Hartley, operations manger for Pennine Police said: "We have been made aware of councillor Iqbal's comments, which we will look into as part of our normal intelligence work."

Pendle MP Mr Prentice said: "If Councillor Iqbal has any information at all on this he ought to hand it over to the police. In Pendle there are no friends of terrorists. The war against terror has to be won. All right thinking people know that the war against terror must be won as soon as possible."

Coun Iqbal first raised the issue at a meeting of Pendle Borough Council when an anti-war motion was tabled. He told councillors: "As recently as last weekend there were people in Pendle trying to actively recruit young Pendle boys to sign up and be members of al Qaeda.

"We are playing straight into the hands of people looking to recruit terrorists in Pendle. It could give people more ammunition to join up with terrorists."

After the meeting Coun Iqbal added: "I was born and brought up in this country but I have to say that any conflict in the Middle East would play into the hands of the fundamentalists. When you play into the hands of people like these they will come into places like Pendle and tell young Asian men they are being insulted by the US and Britain.

"I have spoken to one or two youngsters who have told me that people are coming in from other areas to brainwash people. I am pretty sure that the police will be aware of this because they have their own intelligence sources."

Other Pendle councillors agree that a war in the Middle East would damage community relations in East Lancashire. Coun Alan Davies said: "This council believes should Britain be involved in a war with Iraq it would do great damage to community cohesion and has the potential to set back progress made in Pendle over many years."

Coun Sharon Davies said: "This war is going to increase BNP activity in Pendle. It will impact on communities here and we have to look at it and do our best to ensure that our communities don't break down and continue to prosper together."