A COUNTY Durham soldier charged with keeping the peace in one of the most notorious trouble zones in Kosovo has told of the stresses of the job.

Corporal Malcolm Ridley, 28, from Stanley, a member of the second battalion of the light infantry, is one of eight men working with Swedish soldiers in the area.

He has to set up a vehicle check point just outside the village of Gracanica, in the north of Kosovo, the scene of violent riots just a few months ago.

Malcolm, known as Mac, said: "I am the section commander so it is up to me to ensure that between the eight of us the check point is continually manned day and night.

"We have to check all the cars and people coming in and out of Gracanica. The village is very much a Serbian enclave and has a large working monastery. It is also a very political place being the centre for the Serbian National Council.

"During the recent municipal elections, it could have been a hazardous place to monitor but because we kept a high profile presence the elections passed reasonable peacefully."

Mac, a former pupil of Greencroft Comprehensive School, Annfield Plain, joined the Army in 1993. He is married to Jodi. His father, Lawrence Ridley, lives in New Kyo, Stanley