AN ENGINEER from Micklefield will brave sub zero temperatures in Alaska as part of a trial to improve a specialised army rifle.

Harvey Lyon, a 34-year-old part-time Territorial Army Royal Rifle Volunteers member, was chosen alongside other TA and Regular Army specialists to test the Army's SA80 rifle in severe weather conditions.

A keen rifleman for the past eight years, Mr Lyon is no stranger to working in freezing conditions. He ventured to Mont Blanc and the Pyrenees with the TA two years ago and enjoyed the tough challenges he faced there.

"It should be an amazing experience," he said, "Alaska is somewhere I've always wanted to visit and knowing the rifle well, I am interested to discover what changes they have made."

"I'm also hoping to witness Northern Lights which I believe are quite common there around that time of year," he added.

The group will stay at a US army base at Alaska.