AFTER six months fighting in Afghanistan, Royal Marine Wayne Brookes is happy to be home.

The 22-year-old, from Atherton, has spoken of the challenges he faced on a daily basis.

He undertook a variety of tasks and was involved in some of the fiercest fighting during the tour.

Wayne, a former Fred Longworth High School pupil, who joined the Royal Marines in 2005, said: "I've been on deployment to Afghanistan before but this tour has been the toughest yet.

"Some days we came under attack from mortars, rockets and small arms fire - and the fighting continued for most of the day.

"At times it felt like a losing battle but I believe that our deployment was a truly significant success and we built solid relationships with the local people and our Afghan Army counterparts who remain in place."

The bravery of the Marines was not without its consequences - four were killed in the deployment, including Jonathan Holland from Chorley.

Wayne said: "It was tough when we lost our colleagues but we work in a dangerous environment and we have to try to stay professional and get on with the task at hand. It is really only now that we are back that we have time to grieve properly."

Wayne was one of 500 Marines from the 45 Commando unit, based in Arbroath, to be deployed as the UK's contribution to the International Security Assistance Force, a United Nations sanctioned NATO commitment. They provided the cover that allowed engineers to continue with the critical process of rebuilding housing, schools and mosques.

Wayne was a light machine gunner in a close-combat fighting. During the six-and-a-half months he spent most of his time in the Sangin Valley in Helmand province.