A PURTON anti-war campaigner who withheld 10 per cent of his income tax in protest at the Iraq campaign could have his assets seized by the Inland Revenue.

Douglas Barker, says the Iraq war was illegal and he should not be forced to fund it.

But Chippenham magistrates have dismissed his claim and granted the Inland Revenue's application for a distress warrant.

Bailiffs could now be sent to Mr Barker's home to recover the £1,215.45 he owes in unpaid bills.

The hearing yesterday came after magistrates imposed a liability order on Mr Barker last December demanding that he pay the £1,142 he deducted from his self-assessed tax last July.

He told the magistrates he had deducted a tenth, and was continuing to do so, because he calculated that was the amount of taxpayers' money spent funding the war in the Gulf.

"I consider the war to be illegal and I understand that cluster bombs are being used. They won't send the bailiffs here, it will be too much bad publicity for them."