A LANCASTER man is hoping to discover the world's deepest caves as he leads an expedition to China.

Richard Gerrish and his team of four will spend almost 10 weeks in the North-Western Yunnan province, exploring caves, which go as deep as 500 ft.

He is taking part as a member of the Hong Meigui organisation, a group of friends who are members of the British based Red Rose cave and pothole club.

They have already taken part in several expeditions in China.

Richard, a science teacher at Carnforth High School and a former pupil at Lancaster Royal Grammar School, said before his departure this week: "With this year's expedition, we plan to set the basis for future trips,

"Any caves we do find are likely to be unexplored as this region has seen next to no cave exploration, despite the fact that it seems to be an extremely promising area.

The hope is that one day we will find the deepest cave in the world."

Richard's four strong team also includes Hilary Greaves, who is studying physics and philosophy at Oxford University, Gavin Lowe, a computer science lecturer from Oxford and Paul Swire, from Manchester.

The group are being sponsored by Duracell, who have provided batteries which will power vital equipment, including custom-made helmet torches, handheld satellite GPS systems, radios and cameras.

Spokesman, George Allan, said: "We are delighted to be supporting this ground-breaking expedition.

It is extremely exciting to know that Duracell batteries will be powering the group's vital equipment, some 500 metres below ground level."