A SHRINE has been created in a North-East village to a soldier who was killed in Afghanistan.

Sapper Daryn Roy, 28, from Dipton, near Consett, County Durham, was killed by a bomb on Monday in the Nad-e Ali area of Helmand province.

Two flags of St George, pinned to the former Red Lion pub, in Dipton, have since been covered in messages paying tribute to the signaller.

The family of Spr Roy issued a statement that read: “We will miss Daryn’s happygo- lucky personality and his cheeky smile so much.

“He loved the Army and he lived his life without regrets.

“The whole family wishes to express our deep love and pride for Daryn and celebrate his fantastic life.”

Spr Roy enlisted into the Royal Engineers in October 2005 as a signaller and joined 21 Engineer Regiment in September 2006.

He served in Iraq from November 2007 to May 2008, and was sent to Afghanistan in March this year.

He was driving in a convoy on Monday from Camp Bastion to Patrol Base Pimon in the area of Nad-e Ali.

Before reaching the base, his vehicle was struck by a roadside bomb.

He was evacuated by helicopter, but died of his injuries at the hospital in Camp Bastion.

His body is expected to be repatriated on Monday.

The news rocked the community of Dipton, which is mourning Sapper Roy’s death.

Kevin Lamb, who has known Spr Roy for more than 15 years, said: “He was one of the good ones.

“He was just a young lad and he is gone already. It is such a waste. It is a very sad thing. He had everything to live for. He was a lovely lad.

“It is a crying shame. I feel heartily sorry for his family.”

Spr Roy was one of two soldiers from the same regiment who died on Monday.

Lance Corporal Barry Buxton, 27, from Meir, Stoke-on- Trent, was killed in a road traffic accident.

It took the number of British service personnel who have died since the start of operations in Afghanistan in 2001 to 284.