Just yards from the police tape and newly boarded-up windows, a group of youths gathered around four figures with notebooks.

In the aftermath of the Easter Sunday disturbances, members of the Bradford Race Review Panel arrived in Lidget Green to hear from those living on the doorstep of the trouble.

"It was really nice around here until they closed down the local police station," said one boy in his early teens.

Another, around the same age, added: "There is just nothing to do here. We come back from school and either watch television or hang around the streets."

Sir Herman Ouseley, chairman of the panel and former head of the Commission for Racial Equality, was listening while another panel member took notes.

The team spent much of yesterday afternoon touring the area around Legrams Lane where the violence broke out, speaking to "anyone who wanted to talk".

"We are taking in and observing the area as well as hearing from the people who live here," said Sir Herman, pictured talking to Mohammed Amran, a member of the Commiss-ion for Racial Equality, during his fact-finding tour of the area.

"We are listening to what has been going on so that people can try to rebuild relationships in the area."

Detectives are still unclear as to what exactly sparked the violence but admit "racist behaviour" probably played its part.

The gathering of youths told of how white men chased one Asian across the road from the Coach House pub and into a pizza shop. They told how police officers allowed a violent gang of whites to leave the area after stopping the bus they were travelling on.

But most of the talk is about the future - and how such events can be avoided.

Mohammed Zahid Abrahim, 29, said: "People have always got on like a house on fire around here. I have English and Polish neighbours and we have always lived in harmony without any trouble at all."

But he said: "When people live in deprived areas for long enough they begin to blame each other."

He said there were no sports facilities, youths clubs or community centres for people to go to.

"There is not even a traffic warden for when the children come out of school and I cannot remember the last time I saw a bobby on the beat around here."

He said a community centre could help ease the problem, giving a focal point for residents of all cultures to meet and congregate.

"We have a lot of work here to do and people from Lidget Green need help," he said.

"But we also need to be able to help ourselves.

"I don't even want to look back at the events which have left our community in shock and turmoil.

"What we need to be doing is looking to the future to make sure that this never happens again here."