A soldier from Cradley Heath has safely returned home to family celebrations after spending time in war-torn Afghanistan.

Twenty-five-year-old Adam Jones has been posted away since Christmas with the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers, being targeted up to six times a day by Taliban soldiers.

Adam, who was one of the youngest soldiers in the country to be made a corporal at 21, spent much of his time with his fellow troops defending a river and a dam which provides vital electricity to a near-by village.

Adam said: "Afghanistan is not the nicest places to be, where we were was a Taliban freehold and even the locals were quite hostile towards us, but it is a great place to be if you are a soldier.

"It can be quite scary when it is just you, your helmet and your rifle, but that is what we are trained for."

The former Heathfield High pupil joined the army in 1999 after originally wanting to be an electrician and has since visited Kosovo, Northern Ireland and Iraq.

The brave soldier has also won a Lifesavers Award after getting hit with shrapnel while continuing to get his troops out of danger.

Adam said he was glad to get home because he missed his mum's cooking.

He said: "I lost a lot of weight while I was out there.

"We were on basic rations for two months which consisted of lots of Yorkie chocolate bars and packaged corn beef hash and hotpot."

Adam will only be at home with his family for a few days as he flies off to Cyprus for training in preparation for his next operation in 2009.

His proud mum Pam said she was "delighted" to have him home as it is always a "worrying time when he is away".