IN the second of our five-part look back at the Burnley Riots, we visit the two communities where the worst of the trouble broke out and found people split on whether such events could ever happen again.

IN Duke Bar, the scene of the most shocking moment of the 2001 riots, there is much more integration between Asian and white communities than there was a decade ago.

The Duke of York pub, which was torched on Sunday, June 24, was refurbished in the aftermath of the disturbances but is now closed and up for sale.

Elsewhere the road is packed with thriving shops and there is a vibrant atmosphere.

Many of the houses on the Daneshouse estate near Colne Road were demolished and not rebuilt after regeneration cash ran out, leading many Asians to move into the nearby white-dominated Bank Hall, Queensgate and Reedley areas.

Despite many positives in the area, there is still also a feeling of unease when looking back 10 years, according to some.

In one shop I asked the Asian boss how he felt community relations were.

“I have been here for seven years and there’s never been a problem.

"This is a mixed area and everyone gets along,” he said.

His white customer, a regular, tells a different tale.

“Nothing has changed,” he said bluntly. “I can see it flaring up again.”

A few doors down in a newsagent’s I am enthusiastically invited in to speak to four friends in a back room.

One of the group, Abid Sharif, a local magistrate, said there were still many problems.

Friend Shah Hussain, who represents the area on Burnley Council, agreed. “It might happen again.

"I really think that. It would be naive to say otherwise.

“Straight after the Burnley riots was 9/11 and that changed everything.

"It altered the way a lot of white people thought about the Muslim community.

“In the past few years there has been a lot of shifting of communities.

"A lot of the community of Daneshouse has moved out.

“There are now communities living together when maybe in the past they didn’t.

"But there are still a lot of problems and that is why I can’t say there wouldn’t be future trouble.

“Regardless of the disturbances 10 years ago Burnley has some major issues. People have big problems in their lives.

“Unemployment and housing are real problems in Burnley and it is that sort of thing that could cause friction.

“There has been so much hard work done in the past 10 years to increase community cohesion and a lot of forward steps have been taken.

"But there is a real lack of jobs and housing and a lot of people blame the other community, because it is the easy answer.”

Mr Sharif, a local businessman, said: “There are still a lot of issues that need to be tackled in terms of the two communities but that is an issue for society as a whole, not just Burnley.

“The main issue is about opportunity. The big problems in this town need to be addressed before they escalate and something happens. A lot of people have misconceptions about the other community.”

Another of the group, Nozrul Islam, said: “You can’t tar everyone with the same brush and that is the problem we have.

“Too many people blame a whole community for the actions of individuals.

"Things have changed over the past decade, especially as the communities become more integrated, but there is a lot more work to be done.”

In the street a 27-year-old Asian man said he categorically could ‘never see the riots happen again’.

He said his wife, who wears a full veil, was often approached by white children asking why she hid her face.

He said: “All of my neighbours are white and we get on very well with them.

“Even when people ask my wife about her veil it is always respectful. It is nice living in Burnley."

A worker in a halal butcher’s agreed and said Duke Bar was a quiet area to live in.

He said: “I think a lot of the troublemakers have moved out of the area.

"The police and council have worked hard to improve the area.

"Things are good here. The last two or three years in particular have got a lot better.”

A neighbouring newsagent said that as a Turk he felt he could see the situation from a neutral point of view.

He said: “There has been a massive improvement. The authorities deserve a lot of credit.

"Things are not perfect but they are getting better.”