The relatives of a woman sailor being held hostage by Iran spoke last night of their distress.

Leading Seaman Faye Turney, who has a three-year-old daughter Molly, was one of 15 British service personnel captured in the Gulf last week and now held at an unnamed location in Iran.

In a statement released by the Ministry of Defence, the family said: “While we understand the media interest in the ongoing incident involving Faye, this remains a very distressing time for us and our family. We are grateful for the support shown to us by all personnel involved and appreciate it, but would request that our privacy is respected.”

Ms Turney, 26, who was driving one of the boats when they were caught, is married to Adam, also a naval boatman. He has been given special leave to remain at their home in Plymouth to look after Molly.

A friend of the female NCO told The Sun: “She is a great girl with a warm sense of humour. Everyone knows her because there are not many Wrens who do what she does. It is quite an achievement. Topsy loves being a mum and her greatest concern right now will be for her little girl and how badly she is affected by this.”

Iran said yesterday that the 15 personnel were “fit and well” but refused to divulge where they are being held or when they might be freed.

For the second day running, Geoffrey Adams, the British Ambassador to Tehran, appealed to officials at the Iranian Foreign Ministry for consular access to the eight sailors and seven Marines — including Ms Turney — who were abducted at gunpoint by Revolutionary Guards last Friday.

A similar appeal was made later by Lord Treisman when Rasoul Movahedian, the Iranian Ambassador to London, was summoned to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

Mehzi Mostafavi, the Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister, said that the captives were being interrogated to see whether they had crossed into Iranian waters deliberately. “Iran has enough evidence to prove that the British Forces personnel were detained in Iranian waters,” he said. “It should become clear whether their entry was intentional or unintentional . . . After that is clarified, the necessary decision will be made.”

British officials hope to prove that the British troops were operating in Iraqi waters when they were abducted.

British diplomats across the world have been instructed to lobby third parties to put pressure on Iran to free the captives. Margaret Beckett, the Foreign Secretary, was expected to call on Turkey to help during a visit to Ankara, which has close ties with Tehran.

Earlier yesterday Hoshyar Zebari, the Iraqi Foreign Minister, raised the issue with Manouchehr Mottaki, his Iranian counterpart, in a meeting in the Saudi capital, Riyadh.

Although the Iranians have assured Britain that the service-men have not been harmed, there are fears that they could be subjected to the same abuse suffered by eight British sailors and Marines held in similar circumstances three years ago.

Times Recommends

• Please help: maimed children of war want their lives back
• Cabal seizes diamond riches to buy power
• White House gatecrashers got to the president