The Northern Echo has sent a reporting team to join British troops serving in the Gulf.

Reporter Steve Parsley and photographer Stuart Boulton are filing daily reports from the region around Basra.

There are more than 5,000 troops from the North-East in the southern region of the war-torn country at the moment.

The majority serve with regiments that make up 19 Mechanised Brigade, which took over from the Desert Rats once the fighting had ended.

There have been recent reports of rioting in some areas in the city itself where the local population has been venting its frustration over the lack of fuel and power.

A former Gurkha soldier died after he was shot during weekend violence, and a soldier died after an attack in Basra.

One of the main problems for troops is the searing desert heat, which has been as high as 60C.

In his first dispatch for the Echo, Steve wrote: "For most, the first enemy is the heat.

"The desert in August is a vast, featureless, savage, energy-sapping, unrelenting furnace. Imagine standing in a wind tunnel blowing air heated to more than 50C and you will begin to have some idea of what it is like being in the shade in Basra at the moment.

"If you stand in direct sunlight, you can feel the moisture being sucked from your body, and your skin begin to tighten as if you were standing too close to a roaring bonfire.

"Even in the dark, there is little or no respite, and the only defence is to drink copious amounts of water."

In subsequent articles, he has also told how bombs, a grenade attack, policemen sacked for corruption and the stoning of security patrols are all in a day's work for North Yorkshire soldiers in Basra.

Sometimes the children can be a nuisance, with the more daring even reaching into military vehicles to steal whatever they can reach.

Steve said: "Sometimes, a stone, brick or even rotten fruit will arc over the heads of the youngsters in the front rank.

"After the recent riots, some see pelting soldiers with whatever missiles they can find as something of a sport."

As well as focusing on the soldiers and their work the journalists have also met some of the Iraqis for their views of the war and its aftermath for the series of stories.

Do you have a story about the regional press? Ring 0116 227 3122/3121, or
e-mail pastill@nep.co.uk