BLACKBURN with Darwen is to be given Government cash to prevent terrorism in a controversial new scheme, it was announced tonight.

The borough is one of 25 priority areas that will be given hundreds of thousands of pounds following the announcement by the Home Secretary.

Under major changes to the Preventing Violent Extremism (PVE) programme, doctors and college lecturers will be told to look out for the signs of radicalisation.

Computers in schools and colleges will also be stopped from accessing unlawful material.

It is not disclosed as yet exactly how the scheme will work or where the money will be spent in the borough.

The project will also be run in other East Lancashire boroughs but not to the extent of the work planned for Blackburn with Darwen.

PVE was launched in 2007 to invest in programmes that were supposed to lead youngsters away from terrorism.

Projects have included a mosque leadership programme in Blackburn and Building Bridges in Burnley.

But there are concerns elsewhere that the money went to extremist organisations and this has prompted the Government's change in approach.

Announcing the overhaul, Home Secretary Theresa May said: “Prevent work must be targeted against those forms of terrorism which pose the greatest risk to our national security.

“The majority of Prevent resources and efforts will therefore be devoted to stopping people from joining or supporting al Qaida, its affiliates, or like-minded groups.”

One of the most controversial changes from the previous government’s strategy will see efforts to tackle on non-violent, as well as violent extremism.

Lancashire Council of Mosques has refused to take money from the PVE funds, because it believes they should be focused on community cohesion instead.

Coun Mulla said: “I don’t think much has changed. It’s just rhetoric and they have not listened to the concerns of the community.”

Blackburn with Darwen Care Trust Plus chairman Sir Bill Taylor, who is also chairman of the board at Blackburn College, said: “It’s a complicated and very sensitive matter.

“But I think it’s an issue we need to face up to rather than hope it will go away. We all need to take responsibility.”

The Bishop of Burnley, the Right Rev John Goddard, agreed that the programme should be tailored more towards bringing groups together.

He said: “The language itself unfortunately implied that all Muslims were terrorists, which was not the intention.”