COUNCIL chiefs have given Blackburn with Darwen's troubled Racial Equality Council until the end of the month to sort themselves out.

The warning came after the REC's meeting last week ended with members walking out in disgust after only five minutes. The meeting had been designed to show the group could stop in-fighting.

Phil Watson, chief executive of Blackburn with Darwen Council, said: "Changes will need to be made if the council is to continue to fund the REC."

The meeting was held so members could vote on a resolution to make the existing executive committee stand down and create a steering committee which would draft a new constitution.

REC director Abdul Chowdry said they walked out because they did not want things to change.

Mr Watson said he had already had a meeting with the REC, at their request, where he repeated the council's view.

He added: "I reinforced the council's position in needing to be satisfied that, by the end of the month, significant progress was being made to radically transform the organisation into a more representative and effective body."

In the six months from April to September 2002, the Council gave the REC a financial grant of £11,025 as well as the use of the St John's Centre.

The REC also receives funding from the Commission for Racial Equality and the National Lotteries Charity Board.