'Business as usual' - Dudley traders defiant ahead of mosque protest

However, this weekend's protest by far right group Britain First is expected to be much smaller than the previous English Defence League (EDL) march, with police expecting only around 100 people to descend on the town centre.

And Chief Inspector Phil Dolby, of Dudley police, has provided reassurances police are not anticipating any violence or disorder as the Britain First group has not previously been associated with criminality of that nature.

Prior to a public meeting on Wednesday night he praised the town's residents and businesses for the support they had given to the police in coordinating a response to the march.

He said there were no plans to close any roads, though there would be police officers present to stop traffic as the protestors were walking past.

No advice had been given to business owners on whether they should open or close, though he wanted to encourage people to continue trading to avoid the 'economic hit' the town suffered during the EDL march.

He added: "We are really open to hear from the public as we go through about things we need to do. We need to work together and we would like the public to hear about how their own community members are at the heart of preparations, influencing what we do, giving us feedback and answering our questions."

He said representatives from community groups will be joining the police as they supervise Saturday's march, providing the officers with support and advice.

Mr Dolby added the police had learned lessons from the EDL protest, such as the decision to carry out 'rolling' closures when the group was walking past, while the Britain First visitors will not be able to walk through the town's Market Place, which was also the case for the EDL.

Most of the Britain First marchers are set to arrive by coach and gather in the Flood Street car park at 1pm before setting off on a route taking them via Union Street, High Street, Stone Street and Tower Street to Priory Road where they intend to protest outside Dudley Council's offices.

Mr Dolby revealed the protestors were not intending to drink alcohol prior to the march, in contrast to the EDL group who met at the Rock Zombie nightclub in Dudley for drinks prior to setting off on their February protest, which ended in the arrests of 29 people.

However, unlike in February, Mr Dolby said police officers from other forces would not be needed for the Britain First rally and the police presence for this protest would not be as great.

Rival group Unite Against Fascism is also set to hold a counter protest in the Market Place, as they did when the EDL came to town.

Residents raised a number of concerns at the public meeting including how much the policing operation would cost and where marchers would be leaving their cars.

Following the meeting, Tony Swannie, who owns Plaza Mall in Dudley High Street, said: "We have had a lot of fears allayed tonight by the police who have said it is only going to be a small event. It will be business as usual, the town is going to be open and none of the roads will be closed. We have got nothing to fear at all."

Alison Wade, owner of Cards 4 You in Fountain Arcade, Dudley, called for a decision to be made on the mosque to put an end to the marches through the town.

She also said the public had the power to control where the march was routed by emailing the chief inspector of West Midlands police to suggest where they could go.

"The people of Dudley know they are going to be looked after and supported," she added.