A POPULAR weekly car boot sale has been forced to move because of the proposed British National Party event in the Ribble Valley at the weekend.

John Pratt is from Ribble Valley Promotions, which has held the sales every Sunday for eight years in a field off the A59 near Sawley.

He said he was hopping mad after being advised by the authorities to move the event.

Up to 1,000 BNP activists are expected to descend on the Ribble Valley for a summer festival.

It will be held in a field next to the car boot sale's usual site.

John Pratt has been forced to up sticks after police and the Ribble Valley Council said they wanted to avoid any trouble.

He has been forced to switch to a site in Mitton Road, Whalley, and said the move will cost him cash and customers.

He said: "We have had to relocate the car boot sale at considerable expense in terms of readvertising the event and preparing the new site. We have held car boot sales at Sawley every Sunday for eight years and they are very popular.

"We have stallholders from ethnic minorities and thousands of people from all walks of life attend.

"We have been advised to move and, as we don't want any trouble, have agreed to do so.

"But why should thousands of people be inconvenienced like this?"

The BNP originally wanted to stage the event at Diggle, near Oldham, until 200 people objected and signed a petition.

The BNP has said the festival is a day out for invited guests and members. A BNP website has said the Ribble Valley event will feature three bouncy castles, a bar, paintball games, falconry displays and a stuntman.

Insp Bob Ford,of Clitheroe police said: "The events of Saturday will dictate what happens on Sunday and there is the possibility of a counter demonstration to the BNP rally.

"We are not expecting widespread public disorder, but we wanted to give people the opportunity to move.

"We want to ensure that Sawley suffers the minimum of disruption during the weekend."