ACTOR and adventurer Brian Blessed has condemned proposals to locate the ''Son of Star Wars'' missile defence project in one of the region's national parks.

He said the Fylingdales early warning base on the North York Moors, which campaigners claim will be used for the controversial project being proposed by the US, was already ''a monstrosity to look at'' and should be relocated.

After being given a guided tour of the base in his new role as president of the Council for National Parks (CNP), Mr Blessed said he hoped to discuss the issue with Prime Minister Tony Blair.

The Yorkshire-born actor, 64, said: ''You can't have monstrosities like this on the Yorkshire Moors - it's ugly and it's an offence to nature.

''We do need them (defence systems) in this mad world, but not here. They have to find other sites."

Mr Blessed said that he would like to discuss the issue with Mr Blair but would approach the matter ''with grace''.

''Tony Blair should give President Bush a clear signal that a national park is not the right place for this project,'' he said.

He said that if the US proposals were given the go-ahead, it would be ''a disgrace to the countryside''.

''If the rumours are true, then it will be twice the size it is now, and that really would be a disgrace to the countryside.''

According to the CNP, national parks enjoy the highest status of landscape protection, and any proposal would need to be tested to see if it met a ''national need'' under the Government's policies for major developments.

During his visit, Mr Blessed also toured areas of the national park affected by the foot-and-mouth outbreak.

RAF Fylingdales, which boasts a £160m radar system, is a joint Ministry of Defence and US Military Ballistic Missile Early Warning System.