Bomb blast victim told of his fears.

A BRITISH Army bomb disposal expert killed by an improvised explosive device in Afghanistan described the "nervewracking" process of searching for the bombs days before he died.

Corporal Loren Marlton-Thomas, 28, from 33 Engineer Regiment, was killed clearing a route in Gereshk in Helmand Province on Sunday.

Days earlier, he told how his unit had found and destroyed 18 IEDs since arriving in the country.

He said: "For the lads who are doing the searching, the colour has drained from their faces quite a few times.

"For myself, I'm a little further back but still I'm worrying about the guys on the ground, so for me it is nerve-wracking as well."

Cpl Marlton-Thomas, who joined the Army in 1998, was from Thornton-Cleveleys in Lancashire and lived in Braintree, Essex.

His wife Nicola described him as "Army barmy", adding: "He did the job he loved and paid the ultimate price for his friends, comrades and country."

The other British servicemen killed on Sunday was a Territorial Army soldier who volunteered to serve in Afghanistan.

Rifleman Andrew Fentiman, 23, from Cambridge, of 7th Battalion The Rifles, was shot dead while on a foot patrol near Sangin in Helmand Province.

The number of UK troops who have died since operations began in Afghanistan in 2001 now stands at 234.