When Kiron Mittra turns up at the polling station for future elections, he plans to do what might not be expected of an immigrant - vote for the British National Party.

Mr Mittra, 58, of Heron Gardens, Rayleigh, is of Indian origin and emigrated to Britain 40 years ago from Kenya.

He said he had become so fed up with the three main political parties he wanted to register a protest vote by supporting the BNP.

Although there are no candidates in the Rayleigh ward for the next council elections, the party could field a candidate in the next general election.

Mr Mittra, a retired postman, said: "I don't believe in political correctness.

"I am British and I am proud to be British. I want to fly the Union Jack and the BNP seems to be the only party that is willing to stand for that."

Yusuf Goolamali, chairman of the Southend Ethnic Minorities Forum, said: "It is a free society and we can exercise our right to vote, but I think we should do it responsibly.

"You need to think about what the BNP can actually offer, because they often talk in hyperbole without offering solutions to the problems people face."