A BNP festival will go ahead this summer despite an

application to provide entertainment and sell alcohol being

withdrawn at the last minute.

Organisers of the Red, White and Blue event walked out of a

meeting of Amber Valley Borough Council's licensing panel last

night after more than two hours of representations.

The application for a premises licence, which would allow

music to be played and alcohol sold at the three-day event in

Denby, was withdrawn after Derbyshire police objected.

Before the meeting, police had not objected but changed

their position following new intelligence.

Craig Sutherland, the force's solicitor, told councillors at

Ripley Town Hall: “We have received information that left-wing

groups would be mobilising for the purpose of demonstration and

some are going to seek violence and attack the BNP.”

Members of the BNP who attended last night's meeting were

greeted by more than 30 members of Derby Unite against Fascism

and Nottinghamshire Stop the BNP campaign, who protested with

banners outside the town hall.

Security at the meeting was tight with 30 police officers on

patrol, some with recording equipment filming the

protesters.

The three-day event is due to take place in Codnor-Denby

Lane, Denby from Friday, August 15, and is expected to attract

5,000 people. Last year, the first time the event was held, 800

people attended.

Mr Sutherland said that police started to receive

information towards the end of last month that some left-wing

groups wanted to “shut down” the festival.

“We have got two dramatically opposing groups and it could

lead to violence and disruption,” he said.

Mr Sutherland also said that, if the licence was granted,

police wanted to see certain conditions adhered to by the

organisers.

These included a seven-metre-high fence around the site,

increasing the number of security staff to one per one hundred

people and that the festival should only be one-and-a-half days

long.

After listening to the police's position and opposition from

local residents, representatives of Codnor and Denby Parish

councils and Heanor and Loscoe Town Council, John Walker,

national treasurer for the BNP, said the application would be

withdrawn.

“We have come to the conclusion that this whole process has

now become a farce,” he said. “We have been forced to jump

through even more hoops.

“We are going to withdraw this application and this event

will go ahead without a licence.”

Mr Walker and five other members of the BNP then walked out

of the meeting.

A spokesman for the borough council said an official

statement on the withdrawal was expected today.