A FAST-FIT fitter has swapped tyres for tanks after joining the Army.

Since he left St Leonard's School, in Durham City, four years ago, James Sheen has worked at Holiways Ford Rapid-Fit centre, in Carrville, but this week starts a new career, in Surrey, training as a vehicle mechanic in the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (REME).

The 21-year-old, from Roosevelt Road, is following in the footsteps of his father in a military career.

He said: "My dad was in the Army, so the idea of an Army career has always been in the back of my head. I thought about joining up when I left school, after getting my GCSEs, but then I changed my mind as I didn't feel that it was really for me at the time.

"I really loved working on cars and wanted to get more qualifications and earn some money, without having to stay on at school, and decided to become an apprentice car mechanic.

"I really loved my job, but I got to the point recently where I wanted more than I could get from working in a fast-fit centre, and that's when the idea of joining the Army crept back into my head."

After completing his 11 weeks of basic military training at the Army Training Regiment, in Surrey, James will then move on to the School of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering at Bordon in Hamphshire, where he will undergo his specialist technical training.