A COUNCILLOR has called for flexibility in the immigration laws for people who want to escape the devastation of the Indian earthquake.

But today a senior source for the Home Office told the Lancashire Evening Telegraph that would not happen.

Coun Salim Mulla said many of the Asian community in Blackburn, which has family in the western state devastated by the earthquake two weeks ago, was considering bringing relatives over to Blackburn while clear-up operations go on.

More than 600,000 people are thought to be homeless with many afraid to sleep in their crumbling properties as tremors still rock the area.

But Coun Mulla, whose nephew Zakir Mulla lives in the capital of Ahmedabad and felt his house shake as the earthquake struck, said there could be difficulties with the strict immigration laws and something should be done.

He said: "Sometimes the Immigration Office was very reluctant to give entry clearance because people might want to stay, but there should be some kind of flexibility. Obviously I don't want the Immigration Service to waive its rules but for those genuine people who require help there should be allowed to come to the UK."

Rajesh Patel, of Printers Fold, Burnley, lost his aunt and two cousins in the disaster. His mother Vina and his sister Jasmine Sheikh, are in Ahmedabad where their home has been badly damaged.

He said he had been thinking about bringing them over to East Lancashire but did not know how long it would take.

Mr Patel said: "I know a few people who have encountered immigration problems before. You have to be able to sponsor them and provide for them and I don't know if we will be bringing them over."

A top home office aide said: "There are no plans to change the the general immigration rules but individual with family connections in Britain will be carefully considered ."

And Mark Williams, a spokesman for the Home Office, said those affected in Gujarat must apply for a Visa in Mumbai, near Bombay.

He said: "Each case would be treated sympathetically on its own merits but there won't be an across the board policy change. We are well aware of what is going on in Gujarat and each case will be looked at."

A spokesman for the Foreign Office which actually issues the Visas, said: "The circumstances of the people in Gujarat will be looked at and taken into account. We will look at them all separately but they will still have to fill in immigration forms and prove they intend to return to India."