THE Bishop of Burnley, the Rt Rev John Goddard, says he is "deeply disappointed" that the BNP had managed to gain a massive foothold in the town.

He was speaking after the far right party gained six new seats in Thursday's elections, taking its tally to eight in the town.

Mr Goddard said: "I watched the count in Burnley until the end and I was deeply, deeply disappointed .

"It is regretful that a party that has racism as one of its key policies has gained so much credibility in our town.

"I have full support for our ethnic minority groups who must be feeling very threatened this morning.

"I will be meeting with them later to offer encouragement and show solidarity with them."

Yesterday Mr Goddard spoke at a news conference in Manchester, called by the Coalition Against Racism, to "show his solidarity for a multi-racial and multi-cultural Britain".

He said: "I believe the reason for the increase in BNP seats this year is due partly because there is an element of issues concerning the war which has meant people haven't been voting for Labour.

"Also the vote last time meant that it was normalised for people to vote for the BNP this year.

"It is a very, very worrying feature."

"I watched the Burnley count on television and I was deeply disturbed by what I saw."

Rev Dale Barton, Interfaith Advisor to Churches Together in Lancashire - the umbrella body for all Christian denominations across the county - said: "I feel disappointed for the people of Burnley who are trying to build a socially inclusive forward looking town.

"I believe the party poses a threat to our democratic values and they will use this as a springboard for action elsewhere."