THE chief executive of Worcestershire Racial Equality Council has been appointed to help investigate why race riots broke out this summer in northern England.

Waqar Azmi, aged 31, is one of six members of an independent panel whose job will be to examine the causes of disturbances in Oldham, Lancashire.

The panel, formed at the request of the Home Office, will also produce an action plan to curb future violence.

"There were riots in Oldham, Burnley, Bradford, Stoke and Leeds last month, but we're going to concentrate on Oldham, where the first trouble occurred," said Mr Azmi.

"Our report will be completed by the end of December."

Mr Azmi, who has a PhD in race relations, is a co-ordinator for the British Federation of Racial Equality Councils.

He stood as the Labour parliamentary candidate for West Worcestershire in the June General Election, coming third behind the sitting Conservative MP Sir Michael Spicer and Liberal Democrat hopeful Mike Hadley.

A lecturer at the University of Central Lancashire between 1991 and 1993, Mr Azmi then moved to the Comparative Ethnic Studies Unit at Southampton Institute and acted as a consultant to Southampton Racial Equality Council.

He joined what was then the Worcester Racial Equality Council in 1996. His appointment was 18 months after the resignation of Alicia Chater.

Other inquiry panel members include the former Chief Constable of Merseyside, Sir James Sharples and David Ritchie, who was in charge of the West Midlands Government Office until February this year.

Mr Ritchie, the panel's chairman, said the main job was to listen to people in Oldham.

"I'm delighted we've been able to assemble such a strong team," he said.

"We face a huge task, but I'm confident we can deliver."