MISSILES will have to be based throughout North Yorkshire to protect RAF Fylingdales if plans for Son of Star Wars go ahead, a peer has claimed.

Lord Redesdale said the Americans would feel they had to defend the radar base to prevent a pre-emptive strike by rogue nations planning a full-scale missile attack.

Speaking in a House of Lords debate, he warned the U.S. missile defence project would make Fylingdales a "specific target".

He said: "If the missile defence system is brought to a conclusion, we and the Americans might feel that it was necessary to defend Fylingdales with a point defence system.

"That would cause much concern to those living in Yorkshire because it would involve basing missile systems around the county.

"There is also the issue that point short-range interceptors, when dealing with incoming missiles, are most effective when nuclear tipped. That might be totally unacceptable." Lord Bach, the Government's defence spokesman in the Lords, said Lord Redesdale was merely speculating on what may happen in the future. He told peers the only decision the Government had taken was to allow the

computer technology at Fylingdales to be upgraded.

Lord Bach said: "The upgrade involves no new development, no expansion of the base and no changes to the radar's external appearance".

Updated: 10:07 Friday, March 14, 2003