Inside England’s Segregated Town (Blackburn)

 

The ward of Bastwell & Daisyfield in Blackburn, Lancashire, has a Muslim population proportion ranging from 83.6% to 92.1%. Across the wider Blackburn with Darwen unitary authority, Muslims make up about 35.0% of the local population, reflecting shifting demographics across the region.

The high concentration of the Muslim community in these wards can be traced back to the post-war industrial era. During the 1960s, a large number of families emigrated from South Asia (mainly India and Pakistan) to work in the local cotton mills. Over successive decades, extended families settled in these central and suburban streets, leading to the highly concentrated demographics seen in the latest Census 2021 data