NEWS that a British soldier has been wounded by a sniper in Iraq sent a wave of anxiety across the North-East yesterday.

The young second lieutenant, who was shot in Basra on Monday, is a member of the 1st Battalion, The King's Regiment, from Catterick Garrison - part of 19 Mechanised Brigade, which took over control of the southern city from the Desert Rats in June.

Last month, six military policemen were killed by a mob in a small town 100 miles north of Basra, including Lance Corporal Ben Hyde, from Northallerton, North Yorkshire, and Washington's Simon Miller, whose funeral is held at the town's Holy Trinity Church tomorrow.

At the time, the Ministry of Defence indicted the killings may have been sparked by misunderstandings between the troops and the local population.

But the latest shooting suggests there may be some factions in Iraq prepared to target British troops without provocation, sparking fresh concern at home about the safety of soldiers serving with regular and reservist units in the Gulf.

The injured man was hit in the leg. His comrades returned fire, but there were no Iraqi casualties.

The wounded officer was taken to a military field hospital, where medics were able to stabilise his condition.

Speaking from Iraq yesterday, 19 Mechanised Brigade spokesman Major Ian Poole said the motivation for the shooting remained unclear but he insisted British troops would not be goaded into a knee-jerk reaction.

"We feel it is extremely important that we do not put unnecessary barriers between ourselves and the local community," he said.

Catterick Garrison commander Colonel Jonny Hackett said swift communication with families was important.

"Many have been through this sort of thing before with Kosovo, Afghanistan or Northern Ireland, but there are still bound to be some who are anxious and we have to do whatever we can to reassure them," he said.