A FAMILY'S campaign against the use of Depleted Uranium has been acknowledged by the Prime Minister and handed over to top brass at the Ministry of Defence.

Mrs Gail Norris, of Heathfield Road, Whitefield, made an emotional journey to Downing Street on Saturday (March 24), together with her husband, Jon, and three children.

The two youngest children, Alexandra (12) and Thomas (10), handed over the 4,000-name petition to officials at Number 10 in the hope that it would persuade the Prime Minister to arrange compulsory screening for troops who had come into contact with DU.

The campaign was organised in memory of Mrs Norris's son, Coporal Alan Joy, who died of leukaemia in August last year at the age of 27. Alan, a former Prestwich High School pupil, developed cancer in September, 1999, after serving in the Balkans.

Mrs Norris acted following recent publicity about the link between exposure to DU and the risk of developing cancer. Mrs Norris said: "The trip was particularly emotional as it coincided with Alan's birthday, the first one since he died. It was also Mother's Day on Sunday and as a family it is something we make a fuss about.

"Without Alan there it was very hard."

She added: "The children handed over the petition and we received a letter from the Prime Minister this week acknowledging that he had received it.

"He said he had read the petition and expressed how sorry he was about Alan."

Mrs Norris said the Prime Minister had also passed the petition over to the Ministry of Defence who would deal with it on his behalf.

She added: "We just have to wait now. When Alan died it was a huge shock but when the news over DU broke it gave me something to fight for and channel my energy into."