Luke Smith (26), of Brunshaw Road, who was said to be suffering from mental health problems, was found near to The Culvert in Yorkshire Street at 4 p.m. on Saturday, opposite the Princess Royal pub.

Police are not treating the death as suspicious.

A post-mortem examination is being held this morning and an inquest into his death is expected to be opened by East Lancashire coroner Mr Richard Taylor on Thursday.

Yesterday, Coun. Sharon Wilkinson, leader of the BNP in Burnley, said: "Our thoughts and feelings are with Luke's family at this sad time."

A Burnley FC fan, Mr Smith was elected to Burnley Council as a British National Party councillor for Lanehead in 2003. However, he resigned three months later over what he said was lack of support from the party's national leadership.

The former Towneley High School pupil, whose uncle Mr Steven Smith, a former BNP organiser and now leader of the England First Party, encouraged him to enter politics, had earlier been suspended from the BNP following an altercation at the party's Red, White and Blue festival in Sawley in August 2003.

At the time of his death the qualified gas fitter was awaiting sentence for an assault on the landlord of the Princess Royal.

In a court appearance last week, Mr Smith's solicitor, Mr Dylan Bradshaw, told Burnley magistrates there had been a deterioration in his client's mental health, and said he was suffering from adjustment disorder, brief reactive depression and mental and behavioural disorder due to misuse of substances.