VISA difficulties have left a goodwill mission to take a fire engine from North Yorkshire to Kabul floundering.

The 5,000-mile trek from Harrogate to the war-ravaged capital of Afghanistan has been put on hold while urgent negotiations take place.

A last-minute crew change left the group without a valid Iranian visa and they were forced to postpone their departure.

Organisers are now working round the clock to plan a new route which may take the volunteers via Georgia and Turkmenistan.

Harrogate Rotary Club is backing the expedition and president John Tyreman said the new obstacles would be overcome.

He said: "It's fraught with problems, but we are working hard to get it right.

"The crew are desperate to get going and the trip will definitely go ahead."

Leader John Shackleton bought the H-registered vehicle to take a message of goodwill from the people of North Yorkshire.

He is being accompanied by a co-driver and members of a television team who are filming a documentary.

The group is now scheduled to depart on Monday, April 29.

Updated: 11:42 Friday, April 19, 2002