BRITISH National Party candidate Jim Cowell has stopped canvassing for support at Thursday's council by-election in Burnley after becoming disillusioned with the party.

Mr Cowell, who joined the BNP only a few months ago, said he would reconsider his position as a member after the election.

He said he was disillusioned with the party leadership after watching a Panorama television programme, screened at the weekend, but still believed that the local officials were good lads with moderate views.

Mr Cowell, 64, a retired builder, said he joined the BNP because he wanted to stop immigration. He is one of five candidates standing in the by-election in the Rosehill ward.

He thought the new policy of the BNP was against repatriation but was concerned about the extremist views of the party leadership as shown on television.

Mr Cowell said: "I am quite happy with the people over here. It is unrealistic and unfair to suggest that they should be repatriated. They have as much right to be here as anyone."

Mr Cowell said he was upset at hearing an admission by BNP leader Nick Griffiths that what was on the agenda now did not have to be the same once they got in power.

He added: "That upset me. I believe the grass roots of the BNP are standing for what I was standing for. I think the BNP has to get rid of the extremists at the top."

Mr Cowell said he was not going so far as to tell the people not to vote for him and that if elected he would continue as a BNP councillor representing the people who voted for him.

If he was not elected he would reconsider his position.

He added: "I will just go through the formalities now. I don't believe in the politics of those in control of the party.

"The local lads are not extremist, it is the leaders I am concerned about.

"I am not a racist, the only thing I want is for further immigration to be stopped.

"I have friends who are Asian and I believe they want it stopped because we are just building up trouble for ourselves."

Mr Cowell said he voted for the BNP at the general election as a protest and then decided to stand as a BNP candidate at the council elections because he supported their policy of stopping immigration.

He stressed: "We cannot go back to the past before immigration but an open door policy bringing in a flood of immigrants to the country would be a disaster.

"That is all I am concerned about and if that makes me a racist then I am a racist."

Local BNP organiser Steve Smith said: "Jim was swayed by the Panorama programme.

"Repatriation was dropped as a policy of the BNP some time ago.

"Jim was a bit upset by the Panorama programme but he is now back on side and the election goes ahead as usual as far as we are concerned."