THE body of a North-East soldier killed in Afghanistan was brought back to the UK yesterday amid emotional scenes.

Sapper Daryn Roy, of 21 Engineer Regiment, from Dipton, near Consett, County Durham, died after his vehicle hit an improvised explosive device (IED) on Monday.

Yesterday, his body was flown back to RAF Lyneham, in Wiltshire, before being driven through the nearby town of Wootton Bassett.

The bodies of two other soldiers – Corporal Harvey Holmes, of 1st Battalion The Mercian Regiment and Lance Corporal Barry Buxton, of 21 Engineer Regiment – were also brought back to the UK yesterday.

Spr Roy, 28, was in a convoy in the Nad-e Ali area of Helmand province when his vehicle was struck by an IED. He was evacuated by helicopter but died of his injuries at the hospital in Camp Bastion.

Yesterday, his girlfriend, Cheryl Edgar, was among the mourners who travelled from County Durham to Wiltshire.

She placed a rose on the hearse carrying Spr Roy’s coffin as it was driven past.

Some mourners wore Tshirts with the slogan “RIP Dipton’s Hero Daryn”.

His death has shocked the community in Dipton, where residents have set up a shrine outside the former Red Lion pub.

Candles, flowers and England flags have been left in tribute to Spr Roy.

He 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.

Following his death, his family issued a statement saying: “We will miss Daryn’s happy-go-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.”

Cpl Holmes, 22, from Hyde, Greater Manchester, died on Sunday when an IED went off as he provided protection for his patrol while it investigated a compound in Sangin.

L Cpl Buxton, 27, from Meir, Stoke-on-Trent, died on Monday after a vehicle he was commanding rolled into the Nahr-e Bughra canal, in the Nad-e Ali area, when a road alongside the waterway collapsed.

The number of British service personnel who have died since the start of operations in Afghanistan in 2001 now stands at 284.