THE Bishop of Blackburn has made a personal plea to Jack Straw not to go to war with Iraq.

The plea is particularly heartfelt as the Bishop's 25-year-old son David is currently in the Royal Navy and could be called up for action.

The Rt Rev Alan Chesters, today revealed he was praying for the Foreign Secretary and Blackburn MP to make the right decision and pull back from conflict.

Mr Straw has warned that Saddam Hussein had his "finger on the trigger of war" after he defied United Nations demands to come clean on his weapons programmes.

He added: "The choice now as to whether this issue is resolved peacefully or the international community is forced to solve it by military action is a choice before him."

But it is a worrying time for Bishop Chesters, 65, his wife Jennie and many other East Lancashire parents.

Their son David joined the navy through a naval scholarship and has been stationed in the Gulf before.

He currently works in the logistics side of the service from a base in Oxfordshire.

In the next few weeks the weapons inspection process is to be stepped up and the US is putting pressure on the UN to be more forceful.

The Bishop is very concerned about the effects a war could have on inter-religious relations throughout East Lancashire.

He said this could set back the "good" relations which Blackburn has between its different faiths.

Bishop Chesters said: "We must pray that we won't go to war and plead with the Prime Minister and Jack Straw that we shouldn't do that. I hope it won't be necessary.

"David is not currently in a position where he would go. But you don't know, it could happen.

"We must in particular pray for Jack Straw.

"A war will have repercussions in an area like ours in Blackburn where we have good relations with our Muslim neighbours.

"These sort of things do set that back."

Bishop Chesters admitted he was worried by the bullish tone of Prime Minister Tony Blair's recent speeches.

He also said he felt confused by the whole build-up and that local people, through their letters to him, felt war was an inevitability.

He said: "It was worrying hearing his speech on television. And is especially worrying for the parents of service men and women.

"The trouble is you never know all the facts.

"I can't quite get my head round it but in the letters I have been receiving there is a fear that its going to happen."