Mr Blunkett was tonight set to meet Bradford MPs and hear proposals for a Europeanstyle water cannon to be used in future clashes.

Chris Leslie, Terry Rooney, Marsha Singh, who was at the disturbances, and Gerry Sutcliffe have all been asked by Mr Blunkett for a meeting to review the riots and discuss the next steps.

They will tell the Home Secretary that West Yorkshire Police need to be guaranteed extra resources and possibly given more powers to deal with violent disorders.

The Labour quartet is also concerned that police were not proactive enough in ejecting National Front members they knew to be in Bradford city centre before the clashes began.

Mr Singh, MP for Bradford West, said: "We will be talking to the Home Secretary about police measures, whether they need more powers in terms of sorting public order.

"We may look at European models of crime controls, seven hours in White Abbey Road could have been cleared in half an hour with a water cannon.

"I'm not saying it is the answer but these things have to be looked at, we can't have these sieges.

"In the circumstances, the police did the best they could but there is the issue of whether they were proactive enough during the day when we know NF people were in the pubs.

"Whether they had the powers to do this I do not know."

Mr Sutcliffe, MP for Bradford South, said the rioters were driven by purely criminal motives and had played into the hands of the NF.

He said: "There is a core of people that do not want to be involved in talks and want to create no go areas to make sure they control whole areas, but we will not let this happen.

"The National Front has damaged the tolerance that had been in the Bradford community.

"They will be sitting back laughing at those thugs who have confirmed their views on Asian people, and that is a tragedy."

Criticism has been levelled at the Centenary Square rally by the AntiNazi League for raising tension and attracting violence.

Terry Rooney, Bradford North MP, spoke at the rally but denied the event had provoked the riots.

He said: "The ANL rally was not a provoking effect, the conclusion of that is that we should abandon the streets to the fascists.

"That rally went on for too long. It could have been closed at about 1.30pm, I left at about 3pm and I thought that was long enough.

"Maybe someone should have told them to go after the speeches.

"There was a significant presence in the city centre which could have been dispersed earlier. This is one of the things we will be talking to the police and Home Secretary about."