JAILED arms smuggler Peter Bleach has been placed on a list of West Bengal's top criminals.

It means all visits to him in his Indian jail must be done with a police officer present.

The news has been given to his mother Oceana Bleach, who lives near Scarborough, by the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

It also told her he was suffering bad health and was considering starting a hunger strike.

Bleach, a former pupil of St Peter's School in York, has served six years of a life sentence in a Calcutta prison after being convicted of dropping arms to Bengali rebels. He has always said he believed the arms drop was organised to help British intelligence set up a sting operation to trap somebody else.

Lisa Jennians, of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, told Bleach's mother that his health caused serious concern during a recent visit by a representative of the British High Commission.

He is being treated for tuberculosis.

"Peter looked very frail, had a high temperature and was shaking constantly during the visit," said Mrs Jennians.

"He was also very low mentally. Our representative was very concerned about Peter's health and arranged for a further visit with one of our doctors.

"Peter is feeling very low at present. He believes there is little hope of the Indian government releasing him and told our consular representative that he intended to go on hunger strike. Our consular representative has tried to deter Peter by stressing that there would be little to be achieved."

Bleach is conducting his own appeal against conviction, with the next hearing due on Friday.

He is urging the Indian Government to release him after five Latvians imprisoned with him were freed following their President's intervention.

Richard Stansfield, a friend of Bleach's who works in York, said: "Peter's mother is obviously very upset. This whole thing is taking its toll on her.

"This is very bad news, but I am convinced that the Foreign Office is doing all it can."

Updated: 12:09 Wednesday, June 26, 2002