MILDENHALL parish councillor Nigel Thompson has received a top industry award for his work in helping plan the reconstruction of war-torn Kosovo.

He is now waiting to hear about a new mission in Serbia and Montenegro.

The father of three, of Grove Farm, Stitchcombe, near Marlborough, a civil engineer, is vice-chairman of London-based consulting engineers Ove Arup and Partners. He has been awarded the International Medal 2000 from the Institution of Civil Engineering for his work in Kosovo.

He has learned that following his success in heading a British team of six to draw up a blueprint to get Kosovo's coal mines and power stations working again, he has been selected by the Government to head a similar team in Serbia and Montenegro.

Last night, Mr Thompson, 61,was waiting for a telephone call from Trade Secretary, Stephen Byers.

He originally flew to Kosovo in June last year with former Trade Minister John Battle, where they met General Sir Michael Jackson, who was in charge of the British peacekeeping force. Mr Thompson's brief was to spearhead a specialist taskforce to get the power stations and coal mines working again.

He found scenes of devastation left by the fleeing Serbs who , he said, had stolen everything that was portable from computers to bulldozers, and blown up much of the vital equipment left behind, including power stations and transformer stations.

"It was an absolute nightmare everywhere we went,"he said.

His brief was to help the Kosovars restore some order and get electricity flowing again before the onset of winter, and to secure contracts for British companies.

Mr Thompson said: "One of the most interesting things was that the Albanian Kosovars who had worked in the power industry before, appeared as if out of the woodwork. Some were still able to carry out vital work in the mines and power stations while others needed re-training.

"We were able to get things working and get the power back on before the winter. We still had blackouts during the winter, but they were caused more by the failure to get money from the EU to replace outdated equipment."

Mr Thompson visited Kosovo six times and as a result a number of British companies had secured contracts to modernise the power stations and supply equipment in Kosovo.

He said: "I had just completed the work I had been asked to do in Kosovo when the Secretary of State asked me to set up a new task force."