THE Burnley riots of five years ago prompted Government advisors to draw up a list of other areas at risk of race trouble, it has emerged.

Gurbux Singh, the then head of the Commission for Racial Equality (CRE) suggested that the Notting Hill Carnival and Asian "mela" festivals, of which one is held annually in Blackburn, could be possible triggers for disturbances.

The nine areas named by the CRE were Rochdale, Preston, Bolton, Huddersfield, the London boroughs of Camden and Tower Hamlets, Nottingham, Leeds and the towns of Ilford and Barking in the London borough of Redbridge. Mr Singh, who resigned as CRE chairman in August 2002, was asked to compile the report following disturbances in Burnley, as well as Bradford and Oldham.

The list was obtained from the Home Office under the Freedom of Information Act.

Mr Singh's letter to then home secretary David Blunkett in June 2001 said: "We have to find new ways of really engaging with young people in these hot spots - both white and Muslim youth. It is Muslim youth who are hardest to reach. And if we decline to acknowledge their identity of choice and continue to label them only by ethnicity, we will not connect.

"A national steer from you at this point seems essential to defuse what is shaping up to be a long, hot and tense summer for communities who feel vulnerable and the public services who pick up the pieces."

Burnley was rocked by three days of riots in June 2001 when more than 200 white and Asian youths rampaged through the town.

A report released earlier this year, Burnley 2006 - The Real Story, highlighted concerns over segregation, low wages, deprivation, poor educational attainment, and problems in the housing market, as well as saying new disorder was a risk.

But it stressed that the town was making progress, and highlighted positive things being done to address issues like community cohesion, such as faith and youth groups working to bring communities together.