Around 40 anti-fascist protesters clashed with riot police outside the BNP's annual festival over the weekend.

Officers arrested six demonstrators as they tried to barricade a road, preventing BNP members from attending the party's annual Red, White and Blue Festival in Denby, Derbyshire.

The arrests occurred during clashes which saw police pelted with stones by a breakaway group of protesters, but officers armed with batons and supported by dogs and the force's helicopter managed to quell the disturbance.

Earlier, some 700 demonstrators from Unite Against Fascism, the TUC and Unison took part in a rally in nearby Codnor.

Extra officers had to be drafted in to control the march as a group of protesters tried to break the police cordon and march along a road leading to the festival, which is being held in a farmer's field.

Peter Goodman, assistant chief constable of Derbyshire Police, said: "We did have an incident which took place with a small number of people, but the majority of people who have come here today behaved impeccably.

"A small group attempted to barricade the road. We responded quickly and efficiently and they were not successful in creating the barricade."

Police said 250 officers were involved in the operation.

Mr Goodman said he could not be sure there would not be further trouble but that he was confident that he had dealt with the breakaway demonstration quickly and effectively.

Bob Crow, general secretary of the RMT, attended the weekend rally against the BNP.

He said: "We have thrown our weight behind this because we think there's a difference between free speech and free expression and attacking someone for the colour of their skin or their sexual orientation.

"The BNP stands for everything that we are not. We are here as a trade union to promote unity for the betterment of working men and working women and the BNP stand for attacking those who have different colour skin from their own.

"They have come here because it is a traditional white area and there's a lot of ethnic minorities living here.

"They see it as part of their battle ground to widen their appeal and these are the sort of people they want to reach."

Derbyshire police said that 250 officers were involved in policing the operation. Local people looked on as more than 500 protesters marched through the village of Codnor.

Colin Parry, 61, who lives in the village, said: "I support the anti-fascists. The BNP should never have been allowed here in the first place. It doesn't do us any favours.

"It's a strong area for the BNP because there's a lot of people here with nothing to do apart from cause a lot of trouble."

During the main rally, a group of demonstrators from the Indian Workers' Association and the Derby Racial Equality Council were allowed to march past the farmer's field where the BNP were hosting their red, white and blue festival.

A group of 15 men from the BNP lined the entrance to the field while other party activists filmed the protesters with hand-held video cameras.

There was a heavy police presence, but the small demonstration passed without incident.

Earlier there had been scuffles with police as it was decided who could join the group that was to march past the BNP festival, but police moved swiftly to create a human cordon while senior officers hauled out those they saw as the instigators of the trouble.

Judy Mallabar, Labour MP for Amber Valley said: "People have a right to peacefully protest. The police have been trying to make sure that any demonstrations are orderly and they are doing their job. The organisers of the demonstration have been working with the police."