THE British National Party today confirmed they will field their first candidate in Blackburn.

Voters in the by-election in Mill Hill on November 21 could elect the town's first far-right councillor in more than 25 years after Darwen father-of-two Robin Evans revealed he will stand as the party's representative.

Leader of Labour-led Blackburn with Darwen Council, Bill Taylor, today urged residents to use their vote to keep the extreme group off the authority.

And the Rt Rev John Goddard, Bishop of Burnley, where the BNP took three seats in the local elections in May, warned a victory would "mark the town."

Mr Evans, a self-employed builder, will stand at the by-election after Liberal Democrat councillor Edmund Critchley stood down earlier this month. Mr Critchley, 70, has since moved with his wife to East Sussex, where one of his daughters lives.

He had represented the Mill Hill ward since 2000 when the Lib Dems, the third largest party on Blackburn with Darwen Council, took one of the ward's three seats from the ruling Labour group.

Speculation that a BNP councillor

would fight for the ward had been rife but was only confirmed today. Nominations for candidates closed at lunchtime yesterday. They have until Wednesday, October 30, to pull out.

BNP spokesman Simon Bennett confirmed Mr Evans' appointment as candidate but Coun Taylor said he was disappointed and disturbed at the announcement.

And he called on Mill Hill residents to vote Conservative or Liberal Democrat, which oppose his ruling Labour group, before voting for the BNP.

He said: "The fact that a BNP candidate is standing for the Mill Hill by election is at best disappointing, at worst disturbing.

The Bishop of Burnley added: "While I defend the democratic process, people of Mill Hill must make a stand. This is an opportunity to show how much they care for their area and I hope they vote in a mainstream councillor and not one from the BNP.

"It was disappointing when the three councillors won seats in Burnley and people assume it marks the town."

In Blackburn with Darwen, whole council elections are scheduled for 2004. Unless other by-elections occur, the Mill Hill count will be the last one before all the council is out in 2004.

Fears of a BNP were first raised when the by-election was announced last month.

Leader of the Lib Dem group, Coun Paul Browne, urged the Tories and Labour to fight the election to stamp out any threat from the BNP.

All parties have put up candidates to fight the seat.

Robin Evans will be up against Labour's Gail Barton, David D'arcy of the Lib Dems and Conservative candidate Karl Turner.

Blackburn has not had a far right representative since 1976 when two seats were won in Shadsworth. The councillors lasted just one term.

When three BNP councillors -- David Edwards, Terry Grogan, and Carol Hughes -- won seats in Burnley there was local and national outrage.

And concerns were raised in Clitheroe when the BNP considered standing at a by-election in Waddington but decided against.