Bodies of five Paras return to UK

The men died in two separate incidents in Helmand Province

The bodies of five British soldiers from one regiment who were killed in Afghanistan have been flown to the UK.

They arrived at RAF Lyneham in Wiltshire for a repatriation ceremony.

The men, all from 2nd Battalion, the Parachute Regiment, which is based in Colchester, Essex, died in two separate incidents in Helmand within a week.

Ptes Nathan Cuthbertson, David Murray and Daniel Gamble died in a suicide bombing. L/Cpl James Bateman and Pte Jeff Doherty died under Taleban fire.

Their deaths took the number of British service personnel killed in Afghanistan since November 2001 to 102.

L/Cpl Bateman and Pte Doherty were patrolling on foot near their base in Helmand Province when they came under fire on Thursday.

The bodies were flown back to RAF Lyneham in Wiltshire

Ptes Cuthbertson, Murray and Gamble were also on foot patrol, on Sunday 8 June, when they were targeted by a single suicide bomber.

On Friday the garrison town of Colchester paid tribute to the five dead.

Paras from the 2nd Battalion marched through the town's High Street to applause from watching shoppers.

And crowds gathered outside the town hall and held a two-minute silence, while a Union flag flew at half-mast.

Britain is due to announce extra troops for Afghanistan, bringing numbers to their highest level yet, Prime Minister Gordon Brown said on Monday.

The increase would bring overall UK numbers in Afghanistan to more than 8,000 - mostly based in Helmand.