A PRESTON soldier, who worked 18-hour days at the height of the foot and mouth crisis, has been rewarded by the army.

According to army chiefs, it took three men to replace Staff Sergeant John Campbell when he left Longtown, Cumbria, where he had been organising the collection of carcasses.

Major General Robert Gordon, the general officer commanding the Second Division, decided such dedication needed rewarding and presented him with a certificate of commendation earlier this month.

Sgt Campbell, 38, who is normally a transport officer at the 42 Brigade headquarters, at Fulwood Barracks, Preston, worked at Longtown for three weeks at the end of March and into April.

He was the transport manager for the campaign, known as 'Operation Peninsular.

His organisation of fleets of articulated lorries needed to transport 400,000 animals were successful enough to be adapted at other sites in the country.

"When I first arrived I realised that we were in dire need of labourers to carry out the disposal," said Sgt Campbell, who attended Preston's Saint Edmund Campion School.

"So I set about employing nearly 200 civilian staff. I also had to set up the contracts for food, laundry and fuel, all the stuff of logistics.

"I ensured the workers were well looked after.

"The biggest challenge was getting them all to gel as a team, which they did well."

Sgt Campbell joined the army at 16 to serve in the Royal Corps of Transport. He is married to Julie and has a 16-year-old son called James.