The home secretary, Theresa May, today authorised a ban on a planned march by far-right group the English Defence League (EDL), due to take place in Leicester on Saturday.

The blanket ban prevents any marches in the city over the weekend, although it does not prevent groups holding "static demonstrations".

A Home Office spokesman said: "Having carefully balanced rights to protest against the need to ensure local communities and property are protected, the home secretary gave her consent to a Leicester city council order banning any marches in the city on 9 October."

It is the second time in the past two months that an EDL march has been banned. In August, the home secretary ruled that the organisation could not stage a march in Bradford. However, about 700 EDL supporters staged a "static demonstration" which was marred by violence and racist chanting.

There were reports yesterday that EDL members intended to flout the ban. However, EDL spokesman Guramit Singh said the organisation had yet to decide how it would respond. "We will be having a meeting tonight and decide what to do then. There are a lot of options open to us."

The Home Office said anyone who organises a prohibited march could be jailed for three months or face a £2,500 fine, while anyone found guilty of taking part in such a rally could be fined up to £1,000.

Leicester city council applied for the ban at the request of the police after formal notification was received that both the EDL and Unite Against Fascism intended to march in the city.

Sheila Lock, Leicester city council's chief executive, welcomed the ban, adding: "Even though the home secretary has given her consent it does not prevent any static protests taking place, which are still lawful provided they remain peaceful, as we, nor the police, have legal powers to prevent them."

Chief superintendent Rob Nixon, commander of policing in the city, said: "The police and council have been working together closely for some time to plan for and manage any static protests. We shall do everything possible to ensure that any protests on 9 October remain peaceful and pose the least amount of disruption possible for those not involved in the protests."

The decision to ban the EDL march follows an ongoing campaign by anti-racism group Hope not Hate as well as faith and community groups in Leicester.

"We welcome the ban but we are deeply alarmed by reports that the EDL may be planning to flout it," said a spokesman for Hope not Hate.

"This demonstrates once again that the EDL are only interested in dividing communities and causing trouble."

The EDL formed in Luton last year and has become the most significant far-right street movement in the UK since the National Front in the 1970s.

It claims to be a peaceful, non-racist organisation opposed only to "militant Islam". But many of its demonstrations have ended in confrontations with the police after some supporters became involved in violence, as well as racist and Islamophobic chanting.

In May, the Guardian revealed that the EDL was planning to step up its Islamophobic street campaign, targeting Tower Hamlets in London and Bradford.