Two sisters have spoken out after the two men who tried to frame them for a firebomb attack were jailed.

Naira, Shahnaz, and mum Taj, Sardar were arrested at their former home in Malham Gardens, Blackburn, after the two men Jangeer Ahmed, 35 and Javid Khan, 33 made police statements claiming the sisters had petrol bombed Khan's house.

Speaking from the ir new home in Higher Audley Street, Blackburn, Naira said: "This has been the worst experience of my life. Over ten police officers turned up at our house in the early hours to arrest us.

"Our mother was so shocked she had to sit down. She has lived in this country for 37 years and I was born here and lived here all my life. We have never known anything like this." Shahnaz said, "I had to leave my one-year-old baby son with a neighbour and and was kept in custody for sixteen hours without being able to feed him.

"I was very distressed at being separated from him and have been treated for depression ever since. I was in shock for a long time afterwards.

Shahnaz added, "How can a man that claims to be chairman of a mosque bring shame on our community in this way? "

A court was told how Jangeer Ahmed, 35, and Javid Khan, 33, arranged for Khan's home to be petrol bombed and then told police sisters Naira and Shahnaz Sardar and their mother Taj were responsible.

Burnley Crown Court was told they had been woken from their beds in the middle of the night and then taken to a police station on suspicion of arson and locked up for 16 hours. Ahmed and Khan then made police statements declaring their version of events to be true.

But pictures of the two men noting one of the women's car registration numbers was captured earlier on CCTV.

The court had been told how Naira Sardar and her husband Sajid Ali split up and she went back to live with her family at Malham Gardens. Mr Ali went to live in Cherry Street with Khan.

Judge Christopher Cornwall sentenced Ahmed and Khan to prison for six months but said he thought the sentences he was passing were too low.

He said the pair had been described as men of honour, trustworthy, loyal, responsible, decent, caring and hard working.

Judge Cornwall told the court Khan and Ahmed had made a terrible agreement to have the three women arrested and falsely imprisoned.

He said they had carefully planned a "grave crime" which included throwing a milk bottle with a rag and petrol through Khan's front door.

It caught light but the blaze was soon put out.The judge said they also went as far as to note a car number to give credence to their false claims.

Judge Cornwall went on, "I want the community to understand and to have no doubt about the fact the Sardar family is absolutely innocent of any wrongdoing."

"It would be wholly and totally wrong for somebody to hold against them the fact that they were maliciously and falsely accused of offences they did not commit."

Khan, of Cherry Street, and Ahmed, of Acacia Walk, both Blackburn, admitted attempting to pervert the course of justice.

Iain Simpkin, defending Ahmed who is a former Accrington taxi driver, said Ahmed was genuinely sorry for what he had done.

The President of Chester Street Mosque, Mr Sabbar Hussain and committee members, Allah Ditta and Mohammed Sadiq said, "We are disappointed with Mosque Chairman Jangeer Ahmed. We do not in any way condone these actions and we are in process of reviewing the election process."

This was apersonal matter and not one associated with the mosque."

"The Mosque is a charitable organisation for the sole purpose of providing a place for worship for members of the community."

"I hope the community can move on."