A Territorial Army sergeant is recovering at home in Kent after his vehicle was blown up by a mine in Afghanistan.

Sgt Arthur Little, 43, from Canterbury, was on his second tour of the country when the explosion happened.

After two operations to repair the right side of his face, he still has no hearing in his right ear and also has problems with his left wrist.

But the soldier, who serves with the 3rd battalion of the Princess of Wales’s Royal Regiment, wants to be back in Afghanistan before his tour of duty ends in September.

Taliban mine

Sgt Little was in a Wimik - an open-topped version of the controversial Snatch Land Rover - when it hit a Taliban mine on the way out of enemy territory in southern Helmand Province three weeks ago.

He said: “You can be the best soldier in the world but if you’re in the wrong place at the wrong time that’s it. It’s a lottery really.”