BOTH sides of the community must get together in a bid to sort out the violence which has left an Accrington school under police guard, a governor has warned.

County Councillor Jean Battle told said: "I've been involved with what's going at Moorhead High School since the trouble on Monday and as a governor I know we have got to get grips with this situation."

She said there had to be strong links between the Asian and white communities to help the school.

"We've all read what was said in the Burnley riot report and it applies to everybody," she added.

The report into last summer's disturbances said more needed to be done to integrate the two communities.

She said it was important that the police carried out their investigation first to establish what exactly had happened at Moorhead this week. But she added that local residents and parents were worried there was a racial element to the troubles, which had boiled over in the school grounds leaving several youngsters injured.

The sixteen pupils who have been suspended are not expected to return to school until next month at the earliest.

Coun Battle said that the Asian community leaders at the Portland Street mosque in the town would have an important role to play in helping to find a solution to the problems faced by Moorhead.

Abdul Khureishi for the Lancashire Council of Mosques said he could not comment until he knew exactly what had occurred at the school.

No one was available for comment at the Accrington Asian Community Forum.