THE Home Office has promised to consider Blackburn with Darwen Council concerns over increasing numbers of asylum seekers sent to the borough.

The local authority has claimed that the dispersal system, introduced by local MP Jack Straw when he was Home Secretary, is causing problems.

The council has written to the Home Office, Mr Straw and Darwen MP Janet Anderson, saying it already has 91 more than its agreed limit of 700, with more to come, possibly white farmers forced out of Zimbabwe.

Mrs Anderson has backed the council protest, saying the extra would-be refugees were storing up problems for the area. And a Home Office spokesman said the National Asylum Support Scheme (NASS) was in permanent discussions with councils about a situation which he admitted involved "fluctuating numbers''.

But he said NASS and the Home Office were determined to resolve any problems and would discuss "outstanding issues which need a resolution'' with Blackburn with Darwen council. The spokesman said: "When Mr Straw launched the dispersal system in 2000, the local authority was promised an extra £4.5million between 2000 and 2005 to help provide services for the 700 places, avoiding any cost to council tax payers. It is receiving that money."

Hyndburn was told to prepare for 400 asylum seekers in 2000 but the Government has since decided against moving them into the borough. Council bosses say this is because they want to live somewhere less rural.

Steve Tilley, of Burnley Borough Council, said Burnley was in a different position than Blackburn because they had not entered into a Government contract. The council had no direct contact with asylum seekers who would be found accommodation with private landlords, unless they applied for council housing once they qualified for asylum.

Pendle can accommodate 250 asylum seekers and at its busiest time was full but the borough now has only 95.

Geoff Ormerod, key worker for the Building Bridges Refugees Moving On project, said: "We haven't had new people since the disturbances in Burnley in summer 2001, except for a few exceptions, where people came from other areas in the UK.

"The situation in Burnley has probably affected Nelson because in the south, people tend to make a connection between Pendle and Burnley. Some have left the UK voluntarily and a considerable number have been granted asylum and moved to bigger cities, where they may have relatives."