BURNLEY has a Europe wide reputation as a haven for right wing politicians, according to one of the town's community leaders.

Shahid Malik, vice-chair of United Nations body UNESCO UK and the son of former Mayor of Burnley Rafique Malik, said the town's reputation had been damaged by the election of the three BNP councillors to the borough council in May.

Mr Malik, today called for Burnley's BNP councillors to resign following an event in Cow Lane on August 1 where BNP founder John Tyndall was the guest speaker.

He said he had visited several European capitals with his work with the UN and that wherever he went, Burnley was associated with right wing politics.

Mr Malik, 33, is a member of Labour's National Executive Committee and a former member of the Commission for Racial Equality.

He criticised Lancashire Police for failing to ban Mr Tyndall's visit and said it was outrageous that the estimated £30,000 plus cost of the police operation would have to be picked up by Burnley taxpayers.

Mr Malik said he would be writing to Lancashire Chief Constable, Paul Stephenson, asking for a cost breakdown of the massive police operation.

He said: "I have spoken at a number of European capitals recently where Burnley is regarded as a right wing safe haven. "

Chief Superintendent John Knowles, Divisional Commander, said: "I would like to reassure all the communities of Burnley and elsewhere in the division that policing services have not and will not suffer in the future because of expenditure on specific policing operations.

"In such cases the costs - not more than £20,000 in this particular case - are shared across the Constabulary.

"The purpose of the operation was to prevent any potential for disorder resulting from the Anti-Nazi League counter action, not because of any identified threat from the BNP meeting."