SCHOOLBOY Matthew Garswood was so worried about the war in Iraq he went straight to the top - and wrote to Prime Minister Tony Blair.

And the 11-year-old pupil at St Wilfrid's, Blackburn, was stunned to receive a reply from Downing Street saying Mr Blair was interested in his views.

Unbeknown to his parents, Matthew penned a letter to the premier suggesting British soldiers be implanted with microchips so they could be tracked by satellite if they were taken hostage.

The reply was written by a member of Mr Blair's office and read: "The Prime Minister has asked me to thank you for your letter of October 26.

"Mr Blair is always pleased to hear from young people and was interested in your views on Iraq. Mr Blair sends you his best wishes."

Matthew, of Franklin Street, Blackburn, said: "I felt really sorry for all those people who got killed in Iraq and so wrote a letter saying how they could help.

"I didn't know the address so I just wrote Prime Minister, 10 Downing Street, on the envelope.

"The letter said he was interested in my views on Iraq so I think he might use my idea.

"I didn't think I'd get a reply and I'm going to show my friends then keep it safe."

Dad Stephen Garswood said he was stunned when a letter on official Downing Street stationary dropped on to the doormat.

Mr Garswood, 40, said: "I think the Ken Bigley situation worried him a little bit so he wrote asking would it not be possible to put implants in the soldiers so they could be tracked.

"It was a bit of a shock when the letter arrived.

"If we had known about it we certainly wouldn't have been expecting a reply.

"Matthew was over the moon to receive it."