A ROW has broken out between one of Burnley's BNP councillors and an Asian taxi firm over his claims he was barred for his political beliefs.

Army veteran Coun Terry Grogan claimed the firm he regularly used had refused his fare after his election success in Gannow ward.

He made the claim when the three new council members held their first Press conference -- on a piece of land strewn with broken glass, dog dirt, litter, remnants of fires and surrounded by boarded up houses.

But owner of Millennium Taxis Khalid Mahmood said Coun Grogan -- known locally at Tex -- had not had his fare refused and indeed said if he rang for a cab today he would be served just as any other customer.

Mr Mahmood, who runs his firm from Smallshaw Industrial Estate, Burnley, said: "He rang up on Saturday night, and said it's Tex. My operator asked if it was Terence and then asked if he was BNP -- he went quiet and put the phone down."

Community leader Coun Rafique Malik said: "All people should treat customers as customers, but taxi firms do get a lot of hoax calls and it is only right that they should check who the person is."

The three members of the British National Party said they would be signing up to the council's code of conduct and hoped that the other Burnley councillors would work with them.

They refuted the racist and Nazi titles they say they have been branded with.

Single mum Coun Carol Hughes claimed she had been jeered by Anti Nazi League supporters at her work at car parts manufacturer Futaba Tenneco in Liverpool Road, Burnley.

Couns Grogan, Hughes and David Edwards, stressed most people had congratulated them on being elected and Coun Hughes said: "After the election an Asian young man who works for me came up to me and shook my hand."

The conference venue was kept secret and Press first had to meet at a separate location before the true destination, off Crowther Street, Burnley Wood, was revealed.

Burnley and Pendle BNP deputy organiser Simon Bennett claimed this was to avoid any troubles with protesters and said the area highlighted the problems of 'so called' regeneration money being used instead for demolition.

There they claimed the negative Press coverage of politicians and religious leaders saying don't vote BNP had helped their campaign.

They denied they would be campaigning for an 'all white' Britain and said they accepted the town was multi-cultural and would work with all council staff.

Coun Edwards said: "I am not for an all-white Britain. In my ward I would help everybody."

Coun Grogan said: "I don't think it is possible to have an all-white Britain, whites and Asians they are all legitimate."

They said they were unsure what changes they would be able to make in the council because they were only a party of three but said they represented 30 per cent of the voters who went to the polls.