Blackburn with Darwen is one of only two boroughs in the country to be classed as having 'very high segregation'.

A person from an ethnic minority is 6.2 times more likely to have an ethnic minority neighbour than a white person. This is the highest 'isolation ratio' in the country.

Blackburn with Darwen's population mix is changing quickly.

The Asian community has grown from 14 per cent of the borough's population in 1991 to 20.6 per cent by 2001.

The Asian community is equally divided between Indian and Pakistani people, but almost all are Muslim, making it the third largest Muslim population in the country.

The borough has one youngest populations in England with 31 per cent being under the age of 19.

Some 46 per cent of Asian people are aged under 19, meaning that the number and proportion of Asian people is likely to continue to grow.

The borough is ranked 17th out of all the areas in England and Wales for deprivation.

The most deprived wards contain the highest concentrations of people from ethnic minorities.

Nearly half the Asian heritage workforce has no qualifications.

Half of ethnic minority people told a local survey that they were worried about being attacked, compared to a fifth of white respondents.

One in five people from an ethnic minority has been attacked, compared to one in 25 white people.

Between 2003 and 2007 racially aggravated offences increased by 156 per cent, although this may be down to increase confidence in reporting.