A FATHER-OF-FIVE from a village near Bradford on Avon will be extradited to the US to face trial on fraud charges in connection with the Enron scandal.

The European Court of Human Rights today turned down an appeal by former NatWest banker Giles Darby, and his co-accused colleagues David Bermingham and Gary Mulgrew, for an order blocking the extradition process.

Mr Darby, 43, of Lower South Wraxall, is accused of being involved in a multi-million pound fraud, allegedly exposed in the aftermath of the energy giant's collapse.

The case brought by the 'NatWest Three' and rejected by the High Court and the House of Lords, centred on a challenge to the legal status of Britain's fast-track extradition treaty with the USA.

Following the Law Lords' decision to reject the trio's appeal last week, the Home Office - which made the extradition order in May last year - allowed seven days for an application to be made to the court of human rights.

Mark Spragg, solicitor for the three men, said last week there were no safeguards stopping people being extradited to the USA. He warned business people to be extremely careful about any dealings they have with America, saying: "If anything is done which could possible offend against US law, then anybody in the business community is likely to find themselves the subject of an extradition request which will be granted by England straight away. "There are no safeguards in place."