A GUEST visitor at the House of Commons has spoken of the dramatic moment when a man sitting less than a yard from him hurled three flour bombs at the Prime Minister.

Newly-elected district council chairman Councillor Ted Tibby (Con-Norton) and his daughter Debbie went to Westminster last Wednesday to watch Prime Minister's question time as the guests of Bromsgrove MP Julie Kirkbride.

Ted said they were sitting in the visitors' gallery behind the recently-erected Perspex security screen when a man hurled three condoms, filled with purple flour, at Tony Blair.

One struck the Prime Minister on the back and the air was filled with what was later found out to be harmless coloured cornflour.

The attacker later turned out to be Ron Davis, from Worthing, who is campaigning for access to his two children. Mr Davis is said to be unhappy with a reply given to him by Tony Blair when they spoke on a London radio phone-in programme.

Ted said: "It was a dramatic moment and it all happened very quickly. As he left the chamber I saw John Prescott place his papers on the condoms to preserve them for analysis."

Ted says that in his opinion the Commons security staff were too slow to apprehend the man, who was hustled away as MPs swiftly vacated the chamber.

The visitors were confined to their seats for 45 minutes until the substance was identified.

Ted said his first reaction was that the protest was in connection with a delegation from the Palestinian government who were in the House of Commons.

Julie Kirkbride said later she had a grandstand view of the incident from the Opposition front bench.

It is not uncommon for visitors to make a noise or for objects to be thrown from the gallery, she said. However this was a serious incident as security is currently a high priority issue and the Prime Minister was actually struck.

The MP added: "It is a sad day for democracy as security regarding public access will inevitably be tightened up now."

Ted and Debbie were later the guests of Miss Kirkbride at lunch in the Commons.