A Muslim leader has labelled a new poll as “scaremongering” after it suggested widespread distrust among young people against followers of Islam

Of the 1,000 18 to 24-year-olds in the study, 60 per cent thought the British public had a negative view of the ­religion.

Some 28pc said Britain would be better off with fewer Muslims, but ­Bashir Chaudhry, chairman of the Ilford Muslim Community Centre, Eton Road, insisted that there was no problem.

“I don’t believe these figures, this is just propaganda,” he said. “I appreciate there is plenty of Islamaphobia, but these things don’t help because they blow it all out of proportion.

“It is certainly not an ­issue in this area, and we don’t take any notice – it is simply scaremongering.”

The results of the poll, carried out by BBC Radio 1’s Newsbeat programme, were released last week.

The findings also reveal a lack of trust across the religious spectrum, with 16pc saying they distrusted Hindus or Sikhs and 12pc distrusted Christians.