THE British National Party has been told to "forget it" after asking independent councillors to stand down at the next council elections in Burnley.

A letter sent to all Independents asked them to "stand aside" at the elections, which are being held next May, to give BNP a better chance against Labour.

The BNP plan to field candidates in all 16 of Burnley's council wards. In by-elections in Rosehill, Trinity and Lowerhouse the party secured almost 20 per cent of the vote.

The letter from deputy organiser for Burnley and Pendle Simon Bennett said that the Independents in Burnley Council came into existence "at a time when there was nowhere else to turn."

It continued: "We are just like you except that we have a party machine with thousands of supporters in this town."

The letter ended by saying: "Please, I urge you, either stand aside next May or consider representing us at the next elections."

The leader of the Independents in Burnley, Coun John Lloyd received the letter on Christmas Eve.

He said: "I think it is quite disgusting and so is the newsletter that goes with it.

"I am not happy about it at all. There is no way we will stand down. We will fight our seats. As far as I'm concerned they can forget it.

"They can fight the elections on their own merits, if they have any, and leave us to get on with our job.

"What they are trying to do is build respectability. They are not a very pleasant organisation and I do not think my members will have been impressed."

Granville Lord, councillor for Hapton with Park, is one of the independent councillors who have been targeted by the BNP.

He said: "I am not shocked by the letter, because all political parties do try to negotiate when it comes to election time.

"But to me this letter is dictating to me what I should do.

"If they had come to negotiate, I could understand but this is not negotiation and I cannot accept it in any shape or form.

"I do not wish to be told what I should do at the next election and which party I should stand for.

"I believe that I stand for the people who vote for me and not a flag waving political party, whoever they are."

The leader of the BNP in Burnley, Steven Smith is currently awaiting sentence by the courts after falsifying signatures on nomination papers for candidates in June's county council elections.

Simon Bennett defended his letter, saying: "We have got the structure to take on Labour.

"A lot of Independent councillors are ex-Labour and probably still do them favours. We feel that their party's time is over and support for them is on the wane.

"It is just a straightforward, typical BNP action. We are not going to go around the houses and skirt the issue.

"They will all make their own minds up."