RACISTS targeted a newsagents twice in six hours -- and the victims today said they were afraid of what could happen next.

Community leaders in Blackburn have appealed for calm following the attacks, which police are linking.

And police said they were putting on extra patrols in the area to prevent a repeat of the incidents.

Owner Iqbal Patel, 48, and his family, who live above the shop, were targeted when a white man ran into their newsagents shop, M and I News, in Hereford Road, Whitebirk, at around 11.30am yesterday and set fire to shelving.

Police described the attack which came a few days after youths hurled racist abuse at the family, as 'despicable.'

Yesterday it was believed a firebomb had been thrown into a shop but police said today someone had tried to set the shop alight with a lighter.

Officers stayed at the shop for much of the afternoon but soon after they left, arsonists struck again when they tried to set fire to an upstairs bedroom in the house. The blaze, at 5pm, left the room badly smoke damaged.

The newsagents is one of two Asian-owned shops in the road, both owned by the Iqbals. Both attacks, in a predominantly white area, are being treated as racist.

Mr Patel's daughter Aziza, 21, who was working in the shop on both occasions, said: "We are all really scared now, we just don't know what to do.

"Who knows what these people might do next, anything could happen."

Blackburn MP Jack Straw said: "I will be back in town today and shall be in touch with the police and the family.

"Although these incidents were relatively minor in themselves nonetheless it will be very frigthening for the family concerned and they are bound to raise anxieties. It's extremely important that people leave the investigation to the police."

Det Sgt Paul Broxson, of Blackburn CID, said: "We are in the early stages of an investigation and we believe they are connected.

"The first attack took place in broad daylight, which is unusual and someone must have seen something."

A police spokesman said they felt they had done all they could to make sure the Iqbal's were safe following the first attack and hadn't felt a permanent guard was necessary, although they were now stepping up patrols in the area.

The family said they were happy with the protection given. They said it was too early to say whether the incidents were linked to the recent riots in Burnley or the firebomb attack on an Asian family in Accrington.

Today, residents said they were praying that the recent troubles in Burnley and Accrington did not come to their estate.

Jacqueline McGrew, chairman of the Whitebirk and Intack Residents' Association, said: "We've never really had any racist problems on the estate before, although we have had the same problems as everyone else with tearaway children and the like.

"We just hope that these are isolated incidents because we don't want what happened in Burnley and Accrington to happen here, we just want peace.

"We all get on well around here so this has come as a big shock.

"You see things like this happening elsewhere, but never expect it to happen in your area."

Coun Yusuf Jan-Virmani added: "What we want to do is just calm the situation down and make sure trouble doesn't start up here."

Coun Jan-Virmani said he had asked police to monitor the situation in Hereford Road, but was happy with what they had done to try to protect the Iqbals.

Coun Abdul Patel, who represents Little Harwood and Whitebirk on Blackburn with Darwen Council, said: "I am very upset to hear that this incident was racially motivated and all my sympathies go to the family involved.

"The community should be able to live in harmony and it is my understanding that that has always been the case. I hope that doesn't change."

Iqbal Patel said his family had lived in Hereford Road for 11 years but had never had any serious problems until recently.

He said: "We get on well with all the shop owners here and the people in the community. There have never been any problems like this before."

However, he said they had been targeted by racists since trouble flared in Burnley.

Mr Patel also said someone had tried to set fire to cards in the shop earlier yesterday, although he had not reported it to police.

A next-door shop owner said: "I'm certainly not aware of any problems and hope there aren't any more.

"We don't want a repeat of what happened in Burnley and Accrington here.

"What happened next door is terrible and could have been much worse. Imagine if there had been children in the shop. Someone could have been killed."

Another neighbour added: "Everyone round here seems to get on OK. I'm surprised they have had problems."

Aziza described the first arsonist as white, about 5ft 10ins tall, slim, pale, with sunken eyes and cheeks, dark stubble, with a green shirt tied round his waist and wearing black bottoms and a baseball cap.

Police confirmed they had arrested one man in connection with the first incident.

He was later released without charge. Supt David Mallaby, of Blackburn police, said: "This is a despicable attack which could have caused serious injury. Fortunately no-one was injured and only minor damage was caused to the shop.

"I can confirm a man has been arrested and that we are in the early stages of an investigation.

"We are treating the incident as racially motivated."They appealed for anyone with information to call Blackburn Police on 01254 51212 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.