A VICAR used his experiences with migrant workers and asylum seekers in Worcestershire to develop theological arguments in a new book.

"I wanted to write from a local base, looking at local people's concerns," said the Rev Dr John Reader, who is priest-in-charge of Elmley Lovett with Hampton Lovett and Elmbridge with Rushock, near Droitwich.

His references to migrant labour in Blurred Encounters - A Reasoned Practice of Faith were included in a Church of England report on asylum seekers, published this week.

The 2003 Charlton train crash, in which three migrant agricultural workers in a minibus were killed on a level crossing, had particular resonance for Dr Reader, because his son was working on another local farm at the time.

"He was working with youngsters from Eastern Europe, who were well looked after and supervised by the farmer," he said. "It suited them to earn the money and the farmer to have their labour, but the minibus accident raised the question of how we respond to people from ethnic minorities."

He was particularly interested in the contrast between the need for cheap labour and response to the question of asylum seekers.

"The image people have is a bit of a caricature, because many of these people are highly qualified in their own country and the skills and labour they bring are valued here," he said.

He added that it seemed "quite odd" to suggest putting an asylum seekers' centre in Throckmorton, next to the site where 133,000 animal carcases were buried during the 2001 foot-and-mouth epidemic.

"The Christian message is that we should offer unconditional hospitality to those in need, while politics and real life say we must have judgement and boundaries," he said.

Dr Reader's book, published by Aureus Publishing, draws on many aspects of parish life, including his work with mothers and toddlers, whose design decorates the cover.