FORMER soldiers in Bolton fear a war with Iraq will lead to an influx of new Gulf War Syndrome cases.

Campaigners of a group battling for the illness to be recognised by the British government say thousands of troops will face an uncertain future should the allies battle against Saddam Hussein.

Among them is Mark Banks who was a "fighting fit" soldier when he was sent to the Gulf on Boxing Day, 1990.

Although he only spent three months in the Middle East, he came back suffering from a range of symptoms including anxiety, depression, insomnia and severe mood swings. He was put on 12 tablets a day.

Mark and his wife, Christina, are campaigning for a public inquiry into the numbers of Gulf War Veterans who are suffering in the same way. They want the syndrome to be recognised -- which would open the floodgates for compensation claims -- and for it to be tackled ahead of any future conflict.

Christina said: "A lot of people talk about the thousands of Iraqi people who suffered birth defects and cancers from the past Gulf War but there are many British soldiers suffering as well.

"Children of troops who served in the Gulf War have been born with defects and are ill. There have been umpteen different tests carried out by the Americans since then but the British have not carried out nearly as many.

"The Ministry of Defence refuses to admit the disease exists and until it does we may see hundreds of other people put through the same trauma if we go to war again."

Physically, Mark has suffered a recurring abscess at the back of his throat, chest infections, painful knees, breathlessness, loss of balance, recurring boils, numbness in one arm and a swollen stomach.

Flashbacks, depression and nightmares which will not go away have resulted in a nervous breakdown and an overdose.

Mark was diagnosed with Gulf War Illness (or Syndrome) by a doctor in 1999.

Christina has since become the Bolton area co-ordinator for the National Gulf Veterans and Families Association (NGVFA).

Although some believe Gulf War Syndrome was caused by vaccinations, Dr Brian Iddon, MP for Bolton South-east, says strong evidence supported claims that the illness is linked to organophosphates in insect repellent issued to soldiers fighting in Iraq and Kuwait in 1990-91.

Troops were exposed to the chemicals during the conflict and, like Christina, he is concerned Britain is preparing to send armed forces into Iraq for a second assault while the Government still refuses to acknowledge the existence of the syndrome.

Christina said: "I just hope lessons have been learned and I urge Geoff Hoon, the secretary of state for defence, to come clean.

"Living with Mark was at times horrendous. I felt alone and sometimes scared. He came back from the Gulf a different man."

Mark joined the army in 1987 aged 16 years and after a year's training was posted to Germany with the Second Field Regiment, where he remained for four years.

Despite his condition, Mark said he would go back to Iraq again. Christina said: "It's strange, but Mark would go back if he was called up. He still feels a sense of duty. So why doesn't the government feel the same sense of duty to the 5,000 British ex-soldiers suffering from this illness."