LEADERLESS far-right extremists are turning to “increased violence” and targeting Muslims on British streets, a report on fascist activity revealed yesterday.

The collapse of the briefly electorally successful British National Party (BNP) has left behind a myriad of fractured fascist groups, said Hope Not Hate.

But the remaining groups have turned to “survivalist, outdoor training and martial arts,” the campaign warned.

Hope Not Hate chief executive Nick Lowles warned: “The rising militancy of Britain’s far right will lead to greater violence in 2016.”

He said this new violence could take three main forms: “A general increase in anti-left wing harassment and attacks, communal violence where gangs of far-right supporters clash with Muslim or eastern European youths, or in extreme cases terrorism.

“The underlying rhetoric of much of Britain’s far right is that a societal conflict — either between Muslims and non-Muslims or more generally with immigrant communities — is inevitable.

“For some, that means preparing for it or even encouraging it along.

“The government needs to understand the changing nature of the British far-right threat and get to grips with the growing threat posed by far-right violence.”

The State of Hate report also showed how there was a rise in the numbers of far-right demonstrations in 2015 — a total of 61, compared to 41 in 2014.

And while one-time prominent organisers such as Britain First former chairman Jim Dowson and the BNP’s ex-leader Nick Griffin have left front-line politics, regional fascist gangs are on the rise.