A Shipley company was today awaiting a call from the coalition forces to help clear bombs and landmines in post-Saddam Hussein Iraq.

Experts at MOS Cold Cutting Systems could be called up at a moment's notice to help with the clear-up operation as the war rumbles to a close.

And they will also be training Iraqi workers to use their specialist equipment - some of which they will leave for them to keep after the work is done.

The Wharfe Street firm's managing director Steve Tempest-Mitchell said his squad was keeping close tabs on the news and was given regular updates on the war from the American and British Ministries of Defence. "All the equipment is packed up ready, we're just waiting for the call," he said.

"There has been a great deal of bombing and a lot of mines have been strewn about.

"Our job will be to make sure that it's safe for innocent people to get on with their lives."

The 44-year-old, of Odsal, Bradford, said his eight-strong team would be working closely with the Iraqis and American and British forces. The company has already worked in Afghanistan and Vietnam with the equipment, which works by blasting a mixture of water and diamond powder through a jet.

The team cut into bombs to allow military experts to remove the fuse, after which a hole is cut in the shell or mine's casing and the spray flushes out any explosives. Adapted from the oil industry, the cutting machines are operated 500 metres from the bomb and CCTV is used to view delicate operations. For larger bombs the group cuts it into manageable sections so it can be removed and dealt with.

"We are not able to disclose any information and we work on a basic need-to-know basis," he said. "For those who've never been out on such operations before it can be quite nerve-wracking, it's the worry of going out into the unknown. But we are professionals and we have a job to do," said Mr Tempest-Mitchell.

The father-of-three, who has worked in this field for 20 years, said his wife was fully supportive. "It is difficult as we never know when we'll get the call but my family knows by now what this work is like and I'm always prepared - I always carry my passport on me," he said.

Team member and brother John Tempest-Mitchell, a former firefighter, is preparing for his first mission to the Gulf.

"It's very frightening as we don't know what atrocities we'll see," said the 53-year-old father of-four. "Because I was a fireman before I'm used to working in difficult conditions and will just get on with the job. But this kind of work fills us with a sense of pride as we'll be helping to prevent further horrific deaths.

"We could get the call at any minute and then I'll just be getting on with it. My children think I'm crazy but I'll be pleased to do a good job."