BNP leader Nick Griffin has confirmed he is looking for an East Lancashire base after his dramatic election to the European parliament.

Mr Griffin became the North West’s eighth Euro MP after being elected to serve alongside three Conservatives, two Labour members, a Liberal Democrat and a UKIP MEP.

Opponents immediately dubbed his success a “very dark day in British politics”.

But a defiant Mr Griffin hailed his election win and confirmed he is looking at setting up camp in East Lancashire as a party base for when he returns from trips to Brussels.

Last month the Lancashire Telegraph exclusively revealed the party was looking for a site ‘between Colne and Preston’.

The BNP declined to comment on the exact location of any potential bases, but it is believed the party has looked at sites in Burnley.

MEPs are given a yearly office allowance of 47,000 Euros and an annual staff allowance of 185,000 Euros.

This is a total of around £180,000 a year to set up a base.

They also earn the same annual salary as national MPs, which is just over £60,000 per year.

Mr Griffin said: “We will be working with the people of East Lancashire.

“We need to be sensible about it. We have only one won seat in the North West.

“But we are already in East Lancashire and we will spend more time there.”

Burnley Council leader Coun Gordon Birtwistle said he was not aware of any sites the BNP were looking at. But he said: “It’s 65 years since D-Day and 50 million people dying to stop the original facists, and now we’ve gone and elected them.”

Coun Mike Lee, Blackburn with Darwen Council leader, said he had heard nothing about the party opening a Blackburn office, but understood they may be looking at places in Burnley.