A FATHER fighting for the right to take his son out of Greece is planning a petition to protest against "ridiculous" legal delays.

Ian Lomax has been embroiled in a tug-of-love court battle since 1998 when his Greek wife Helen kept Christopher in her native country after splitting up from her husband while on holiday there.

Mr Lomax, of Alder Street, Great Lever, won access to visit his 12-year-old son in Greece but is still not allowed to take him out of the country.

Now he is deeply frustrated because after more than 15 months of waiting for a court date he says the Greek authorities are still dragging their feet.

He said: "It's ridiculous. It's supposed to take 13 or 14 weeks to get a hearing date and I've already been waiting 15 months. I'm considering trying to raise a petition and presenting it to the Greek Embassy."

The 44-year-old says the situation is unfair because Christopher is desperate to meet his English relatives and learn more about his homeland.

Mr Lomax said: "Christopher's asking a lot of questions now. He just wants to come back and see his family in this country.

"He's not even allowed to talk about England when he's with his Greek family. At the end of the day, it's causing him psychological damage and the sooner this is sorted out the better for everyone."

Mr Lomax visits Christopher three or four times a year, with a visit coming up next month, but he says the cost of doing so is crippling.

He believes the intransigence of the Greek authorities may be connected with Britain's unpopularity in Europe in the wake of its role in this year's Iraq war.

"This country is really unpopular over there at the moment," he said. "It's wrong to keep a child away from his home and his country for the sake of politics."

COURT BATTLE: Ian Lomax pictured with son Christopher