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The Bishop of Worcester has announced that he will retire in October after holding the position for more than 16 years.

Dr John Inge, whose diocese stretches from south Wolverhampton to northern Gloucestershire, will hold a farewell service at Worcester Cathedral in September before officially retiring on 9 October.

The Bishop of Dudley, Martin Gorick, will become acting diocesan bishop while the process for selecting Bishop John's replacement takes place.

Bishop John said: "I shall be 70 in February and feel, under God, that now is the right time to leave."

In a statement, he said: "Being Bishop of Worcester has been an enormous privilege.

"By the time I leave I shall have been here nearly 17 years, the longest I have lived anywhere in my life.

"I have lived through the best of times and the worst of times in my personal life during those years and am more grateful than I can say for all the love and support I have received.

"I am not anxious to retire – I am deeply attached to Worcestershire and Dudley and love being Bishop here."

Bishop John plans to retire with his wife H-J Colston-Inge to Wiltshire.