UNION bosses have protested to Burnley College and lecturers have considered strike action over having to teach one of the town's BNP councillors.

Officials from Natfhe (The National Association of Teachers in Further and Higher Education) wrote to principal John Smith over the fact that Carol Hughes is allowed to study at the college.

Coun Hughes, 42, was elected as one of three right wing BNP councillors in the town in the May local elections.

She has been a part-time student at Burnley College on a management studies course for the past two years.

Union bosses said staff were unhappy at the fact that they may be asked to teach someone who held extremist views which seemed to be at odds with the college mission statement to promote social cohesion.

The Natfhe branch at Burnley College, which has about 160 members, also held a branch meeting last month to debate whether to take strike action.

However, the members decided against a strike and have instead passed a resolution saying that any member of staff who feels unhappy about teaching the right-wing councillor will receive the union's support if they refused to teach her.

Colin Gledhill, from Natfhe's north west regional office, said: "We recognise that everyone has a right to education.

"However we think we are morally correct to contest that right of a person who utters views which can only be seen as inflammatory in a multi-cultural society."

Natfhe's branch secretary at Burnley College, Peter Jones, said because Coun Hughes was only a part-time student only one lecturer would be teaching her.

He added: "The member of staff involved is willing to continue teaching Mrs Hughes, but the branch thought that something should be done. If she was in my class I would refuse to teach her."

Burnley College was unavailable to comment on the fact that Coun Hughes was allowed to continue her studies, as principal John Smith was away on annual leave.

Union chiefs representing TV workers are also angry that Granada TV is planning to broadcast a late-night debate show this week which will feature a BNP councillor.

Granada TV have defended their decision to ask a BNP councillor to appear as a guest on next Friday's special Granada Reports show about the racial tension which led to trouble in Burnley, Oldham and Bradford last year.

The Trades Union Congress has asked for the programme to be pulled, saying that the BNP's views border on hatred and intolerance.

But a spokesman for Granada TV today said that it was essential to represent all viewpoints if an informed debate was to be achieved,

BNP spokesman Simon Bennett said that as elected members the three BNP councillors had a right to appear on TV shows and express their views.

He also said that Carol Hughes had every right to study at Burnley College. He added: "People of all differing viewpoints have a right to education and the particular lecturer who teaches Carol does not have a problem with her as her politics do not come into it."