ONE of the most right wing political parties in Britain last night recorded a startling success in Blackburn.

The England First Party won seats in the Meadowhead and Fernhurst wards and one of the victorious candidates is party leader Mark Cotterill.

Their success came as Labour bucked the national trend and retained power in Blackburn with Darwen.

The town's MP and Foreign Secretary, Jack Straw, said it was "worrying to see" the EFP land two seats, and that neither the Tories nor Labour, who both lost seats to the group, should be complacent.

Elsewhere in the borough the BNP finished second in five of the seven seats they contested.

Leading councillors Paul Browne and Andy Kay both described England First as a 'racist' party.

Paul Browne, leader of the Liberal Democrats on the council, said: "It's scandalous but that's the way people have voted.

"I'm upset that the far right have gained seats on the council again."

And he branded the EFP "disgusting racists".

Leading Labour councillor Andy Kay, who successfully defended his seat last night, added: "I find it hard to find polite words for this party.

"To say it's racist is the minimum I can say. It's frightening that the average person in these wards can find some comfort and representation in these parties."

Mr Straw said: "I think that people are not aware that England First are just the BNP in disguise. They are a party with dangerous racial overtones."

For England First it was their first ever victories in a local election.

Mark Cotterill, leader of EFP, which is based in Blackburn, said: "We stood in two, and won two.

"At this time we are going to relax a bit, talk about the future and see what we are going to do on the council."

Across Britain the Tories recorded many successes but in Blackburn with Darwen the party lost two seats, although the Lib Dems gained two.

Labour saw its narrow majority eroded from five seats to two .

Of the 40,262 votes cast in the election 4,690 were for the EFP or BNP 11.6 per cent of the total.

According to the EFP's manifesto: * It would "stop almost all immigration into England, increase the departure rate of failed asylum seekers and usher in a policy of humane voluntary repatriation for other non-white immigrants".

* Ban the "marriage between a subject of non-European descent and an ethnic white".

* Re-introduce capital punishment.

* Make gay bars, websites, advertisements and carnivals illegal.

* Only allow white footballers born in England to play for the national squad.

Labour now has 33 councillors, the Conservatives, 15, the Liberal Democrats 13, England First Party has two, and there is one independent.

Elsewhere the Tories swept into power in Chorley after 24 years of Labour rule, and in Hyndburn the Tories tightened their grip on the council, increasing the gap between them and the opposition Labour group from one seat to four.

The turnout in Blackburn with Darwen fell to 42.7 per cent from 49.46 in the all-postal vote in 2004.

Nationally the turn out was an estimated 36 per cent.

Council leader, Coun Kate Hollern, said: "I am not chuffed with the result as I have lost some exceptionally good councillors."

"But I am pleased the people of Blackburn with Darwen have given me the opportunity to continue to improve services that the people of the borough deserve."

Mr Straw said Labour had done well in the borough compared to the national picture and bearing in mind the recent troubles of the government.

"In the circumstances it's good news here for the Labour party, it's sad that we lost some seats but given the national trends and our difficulties in the last few weeks the Labour party have done very well here."

The EFP only fielded the two candidates in the whole country.

In the 2004 elections they fielded two in Preston, one in Blackburn, and one in Macclesfield but did not win a seat.

Michael Johnson, who won the Fernhurst ward for EFP denied the party was the same as the BNP and said they had won on local issues.

Coun Colin Rigby, leader of the Conservative group, added: "I am disappointed with the result.

"I am particularly disappointed that we lost an excellent councillor Paul Raseta in Fernhurst to the England First Party which is a close relation to the BNP."

"In Livesey with Pleasington the BNP got more than 500 votes.

"That should be a concern for everybody in the town."

In 2002 Robin Evans was voted in for the BNP in Mill Hill.

He later quit the party and formed his own British National Socialist Party, but was voted out of Mill Hill in the 2004 local elections.