A TECH firm chief temporarily swapped his day job for the dusty roads and soaring mountains of Laos in a bid to clear unexploded landmines.

When David Tymm, of Piercing Hill, Theydon Bois, had an impassioned conversation with a stranger in a pub about unexploded bombs in the Southeast Asian country, he was inspired to help out.

The digital payments chief executive decided to take to the saddle to fundraise for the Mine Advisory Group (MAG), a charity that clears away live bombs left during the U.S. Airforce's 580,000 bomb mission from 1964 to 1973.

Starting on February 3, Mr Tymm began by visiting the MAG Laos programme in capital Vientiane, which underscored the devastation to befall the former French protectorate.

There he learned that learned that 30 per cent of the bombs dropped failed to detonate in a campaign that equates to one raid every nine minutes, for 24 hours a day, for ten years.

MAG employs locals to scour the earth inch-by-inch, returning 58 million square metres of land back to communities and farmers, with no injuries suffered by workers.

From there, Mr Tymm and a team of 18 others rode 80km and climbed 40min to a hotel overlooking the Nam Nghum reservoir, the first leg of their trip.

Of the next day he wrote: "Odd rock formations loom either side of the road draped in lush greenery. Near Xang, we stop to visit one the many impressive Buddhist Temples, their scale and opulence in stark contrast with the poverty of the surrounding village.

"Later, in the red dust, diesel and hustle of the town of Khan Man as the sun sets, the shrill sound of a siren punctures the thrum.

"A few minutes later comes the unmistakable low crump of exploding ordnance. We have just heard one of the bomb disposal teams detonating a landmine; a reminder of why we are here and the danger that is all around."

From there Mr Tymm rode on to Kuang Xi, covering 386km, scaling 8,440 metres and burning 15,910 calories in the process.

He added: "Thank you so much to everyone who has supported me in this endeavour. The rationale for the conflict that makes fund-raising efforts like this so urgent remains hotly debated but despite ending over forty years ago, it continues to ruin the lives of Laotians.

"As a result of your donations to my personal appeal, land in Laos and in MAG programmes around the world will be made safe and returned to productive use, enabling people to rebuild their lives and their countries."

To read Mr Tymm's full account, email info@i-movo.com