AN Ilkley soldier is enjoying a much-deserved break after spending six months on a vital safety mission in Bosnia.

Staff Sergeant Tim Kirby (pictured left), a former Ilkley Grammar School pupil, was serving as part of the British contribution to the NATO-led multinational Stabilisation Force.

As a bomb disposal officer, it was his job to ensure that the troops were safe in their work, on standby to deal with potentially lethal unexploded bombs and mines left all over the war-torn country.

And although his job is a dangerous one, Staff Sgt Kirby, of the Royal Corps of Engineers, says he is well trained to deal with any situation. He said: "You don't become qualified easily. We have a safe operational procedure. It you are not safe, you're doing it wrong.

"What surprises me is the fact that civilians will keep grenades in their house rather than handing them in. They sometimes pull out the pin and throw the grenades into streams where kids could play."

This is Staff Sgt Kirby's first time in Bosnia since joining the army in 1983.

He has served in Germany, Cyprus, Northern Ireland, Norway, France, Costa Rica, Austria and Switzerland.