ONLY 48 hours after returning from active service in Iraq, a soldier was killed in a road accident.

Mark Dixon, 22, from South View, in Meadowfield, Durham City, sustained massive head injuries when his car veered off the road in Bearpark, just outside the city.

The Ford Fiesta had been on a left-hand bend when it clipped a kerb, crashed into a grass embankment and metal fencing before coming to rest against a garden fence.

The accident occurred shortly after 3am yesterday morning and the road was closed for three hours. No other vehicle is believed to have been involved.

Mark was found lying near the crashed vehicle and was taken to Durham's University Hospital, but was certified dead on arrival.

Mark, a lance corporal in the 1st Battalion the Scots Guards, was based in Munster, Germany. He joined the army after leaving Deerness Valley comprehensive school and was with his unit's reconnaissance platoon.

He arrived in the UK on Wednesday after a three-month tour of duty in time for his aunt's 40th birthday party on Thursday.

Accident investigators are appealing for witnesses. Anyone with any information is asked to call 0191-375 2159.

Mark stayed with his mother Julie, 43, when he came home on leave. His father, Anthony, 44, works on road construction projects and lives in Lancashire. Mark's older brother Darren, who is 23, is a bricklayer and lives in the Durham City area.

The family were too distressed to talk about the death of Mark and have asked to be allowed to grieve in private.