The mother of a soldier serving in Afghanistan has spent hundreds of pounds on extra equipment for her son – because she believes the troops there are under-equipped. Lorna Daniel, from Looe, has told how she and husband Paul spent around £800 on equipment for Paul 'Danny' Daniel ahead of his latest tour of duty. It follows £280 she spent on new boots for him when he was serving in Iraq in 2003. The mother-of-two described being heartbroken when her younger child, aged 29, left for Afghanistan on Mothers' Day – March 22. She said: 'I watch the news constantly. When I hear about a death my first reaction is thank God it is not my son and my second reaction is that some poor mother has lost hers.

'Like most mothers, I don't think my son is going to die, but when the phone goes after 9pm or there is a knock at the door, it makes me and my husband worry sick. The stress is horrendous. I won't sleep properly until he is home.

'It is worse knowing they haven't got the right equipment.'

You can read a full copy of the article in this week's Cornish Times.