FEARS were today growing that the BNP are about to field their first local election candidate in Blackburn.

Liberal Democrat councillor Edmund Critchley, 70, has announced he is standing down from October 17 so he can move with his wife to East Sussex, where one of his daughters lives.

He has 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.

His decision means there will have to be a by-election in the ward, which has been the target of a BNP publicity drive in recent months, after plans were unveiled to open an asylum-seeker centre in a former private nursing home.

Today, the 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.

He said: "I would urge the other parties to field candidates to show people they do have a choice with the main parties and not even think about voting for the BNP."

The BNP took three seats in the last local elections held in Burnley.

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. Coun Critchley said today: "I am 70 and myself and my wife, Mair, are moving to live closer to one of our daughters and our daughter-in-law.

"We have many friends here and are sad to leave. I retire from the council on October 17."

It is expected the election will take place by the end of November.

BNP spokesman Simon Bennett said: "Nothing has been confirmed about who will be standing."