A mine disposal expert working in Iraq has spoken of how he dices with death every day.

Mark Manning, 44, has just returned to his Lancing home after spending five months clearing lethal ordnance from Kurdish territory in the north of the country.

While in Iraq, he goes everywhere with armed bodyguards to protect him from gunmen who are increasing their attacks on Allied forces.

But Mark, a civilian charity worker who puts his life on the line every time he clocks on, is philosophical about the dangers.

Over the years he has defused literally thousands of mines, including Italian-made anti-personnel fragmentation mines which can cause carnage.

After the mine is triggered, it bounces about 1.2 metres before exploding, sending slivers of metal scything through the air in a 360 degree circle.

Mark, a former pupil of Boundstone Community College in Lancing, said everybody within 25 metres of the detonation, known as the kill radius, had no chance, while those standing further away faced terrible injury.

Following the overthrow of Saddam Hussein Mark, a father of two, travelled to Iraq with the Mines Advisory Group, a Manchester-based charity.

He said: "We have had to pull out of some of the places we were working in because of the security situation after an English guy was killed. Everywhere is dangerous."

"There is a lot of ammunition left behind, tons and tons of it, which will take years to clear. There are bunkers full of the stuff.

"Unfortunately, people are now going in and stealing it and using it for the wrong reasons."

Forces still loyal to Saddam were now booby-trapping ordnance in a bid to kill US soldiers but Mark said the majority of Kurds supported the American and British invasion.