POLICE today confirmed they are to monitor a protest by the British National Party in Burnley next week.

The demo is in support of leader Steven Smith who was jailed for falsifying signatures on election nomination papers in January.

Smith, 41, was jailed for six months after a police investigation into the forged documents meant that six BNP candidates were withdrawn from the county elections last June.

Deputy organiser Simon Bennett said the protest is a show of "solidarity" for the jailed leader, of West View, Cliviger, and a reaction to what he describes as a "savage" sentence.

Chief Supt John Knowles, Commander of Pennine Police, said: "At this moment in time, we have not been approached by any organisation which is planning a protest over the next week.

"However, we are happy to enter into a dialogue and will monitor and police any event as necessary."

Simon Bennett refused to reveal the date, time or location of the demonstration, saying only that it would be in Burnley town centre sometime next week.

The BNP are already campaigning for May's Burnley Council elections and claim to have ten candidates standing for seats.

Mr Bennett said: "Steven is bearing up well, in fact in light of the savage sentence he received he is doing really well.

"The length of the sentence shows that he must be saying something right. Someone obviously wants him silenced."

Mr Bennett claims that the jailing of Smith and his barring from political office for five years will not affect his role as leader of the party in Burnley. "When he gets out of jail he will return as leader. There is no move to replace him either locally or nationally."