NATIONAL Front protestors have vowed to defy a possible Home Office ban preventing them from marching through a North-East city centre this weekend - prompting fears of violent confrontations with anti-fascists.

Police and Sunderland City Council have asked Home Secretary David Blunkett to outlaw Saturday's National Front anti-asylum seekers march from the city centre to Seaburn.

An estimated 300 NF members are expected to descend on the city, and leaders have vowed that if they are banned from marching they will still protest and leaflet the 48,000 fans at Sunderland's Premier League match at the Stadium of Light.

Anti-Nazi League protestors are planning a counter demonstration at the city's train station - only an hour before the NF march is due to leave the same area.

NF spokesman Terry Blackham said: "We are still coming to Sunderland regardless of the ban." He claimed they had targeted Sunderland because of the "high number of attacks by so-called asylum seekers" on local people.

But Northumbria Police said the number of reported assaults since refugees started arriving had not changed.

However, in the last five months there have been three vicious attacks on refugees.

Some ethnic minority leaders fear a repeat of the violence seen in Bradford, Burnley and Oldham.

Tahri Khan, of Sunderland's Unity Organisation, which promotes racial harmony, described the planned NF action as "lunacy".

He said: "I expect lots of injuries. What these people preach will poison some people's minds."

Estimates put refugee numbers in the Sunderland area at about 900 out of a population 300,000