A Bradley man who was caught up in last summer's riots in Burnley has begun a 12 month jail sentence.

Richard Summersgill, of Rose Cottage, Bradley, had been celebrating his birthday in the Turf pub in Burnley when the rioting erupted outside.

When he emerged he was unable to make his way home but made the mistake of refusing to move on when police armed with riot shields moved in.

The judge at Preston Crown Court was told that 37-year-old Summersgill did not initially become involved.

But he "reacted with force and enthusiasm", pushing and kicking at the police line.

Mr Dennis Watson, for Summersgill, pointed out that his client had not thrown any bottles, or attacked the police but had made the mistake of trying to go through the police line to get away.

He had kicked out when he had been kicked and struck by a police shield.

Mr Watson said that Summersgill was a respected member of the workforce at McBride's, where he had helped to organise a charity fun day, a multi-cultural community event.

He had been celebrating his birthday, not looking for trouble, when the riot found him, rather than he found the riot.

Summersgill, he said, had tried to calm down one or two others but he was kicked as he tried to make his way through a gap and so kicked out himself.

He surrendered himself to the police after his photograph was published in a local newspaper.