A North-East adventurer has returned home after a series of mishaps on a drive across Africa.

John Lawler narrowly missed a bomb attack in Casablanca, had to cross minefields on the Morocco/Mauritania border, just avoided being caught up in a military coup in Mauritania, and crashed his vehicle in the Mali desert.

The 28-year-old, from Newton Aycliffe, County Durham, set out from Newcastle to Nairobi in April with fellow adventurers Jacqui Hopper, and Marcus and Zoe Hemsted in two Land Rovers.

The journey took the group, who were aiming to raise money for Newcastle-based charity the MAD Foundation, across Europe and to North Africa, where they narrowly missed the Casablanca bomb attacks and encountered minefields.

After avoiding a military coup in Mauritania and crossing the border with their passports unstamped, John and Jacqui separated from the other vehicle in the African bush.

They ran into trouble when a tyre burst whilst on a pot-holed track, flipping the car over and rolling it down a bank.

Speaking from his home in Newton Aycliffe John said: "It took us five days to reach a hospital. Fortunately, a car with local policeman eventually passed by and took us to a village clinic where Jacqui had to have part of her ear sewn back on."

The engine of the couple's car was not badly damaged and John was helped by local mechanics to restore the bodywork, though it was left without a roof, windows and lights.

They had to sell most of their belongings to pay off local police, the clinic and the mechanics after running out of the local currency.

The couple continued to Burkina Faso, where they received hospital treatment. Jacqui's x-ray results showed that she had broken a rib, and shortly after she flew back to Tyneside.

John travelled alone to Ghana, where he got help from the village where he spent a gap year from his course at Newcastle University.

Five years ago he was installed as Chief Torgbul Mottey I, which stands for chief pioneering pathfinder of the forest, in the village after establishing a secondary school there.

He returned home two weeks ago and was found to have Malaria, which left him hospitalised, and was only discharged from Newcastle's General Hospital last Wednesday.

John, The Princes Trust North East Business Person of the Year, is the founder and owner of Madventurer, a travel company that organises trips to development projects in Africa and Latin America.

Despite the problems John encountered in Africa, he plans to return there in the near future.