A soldier has revealed how he and colleagues have been trained to spot suicide bombers in the Afghan warzone of Helmand.

Gunner Sam Sampson, 20, from Hastings, was on patrol with his troop from 16 Air Assault Brigade's 21 Battery when he explained their methods of attack.

He said: "It's pretty easy.

"They're normally in Toyota Corollas, they're moving very erratically and the driver's side slopes down because the artillery shells are behind his seat.

"That way, he knows he's sure to go first."

Mr Sampson was interviewed by a national newspaper as he scanned the road ahead of his convoy from the "top cover" position in his armoured Land Rover.

He told how he and his comrades were ordered to "pour a wall of fire" into any car that repeatedly ignored their orders to stay at least 20 metres away.

A few weeks ago, a 21-year-old Taliban fanatic tried to ram another of the troop's "snatch" Land Rovers.

The jihadi got to within ten metres before one of the vehicle's top cover sentries managed to fire a round at him.

He detonated his explosives immediately. Amazingly nobody was killed and only two were injured by the blast.

Mr Sampson said: "A mate of mine is back in England now with only half an ear because of that bloke and if I've got anything to do with it, they're not going to get close enough ever again."

The gunners face danger every day when they leave their camp's gates in the province capital Lashkar Gah.

But they see it as just another day's work in southern Afghanistan's lawless badlands.

In the latest high-risk mission, a 3,300-strong British task force led by the Paras has moved in to bring security to an opium-swamped province where the Taliban and drugs barons run amok.

The threat from the crazed extremists is not the only problem for the troops there is also the blistering desert heat.

In this part of the desolate country, temperatures can top 55C. Afternoon winds blow up blinding dust storms for 120 days in a row at this time of year.

But Mr Sampson said: "It's what we do.

"If the Army has put us here it's for a very good reason and that's good enough for me."

Scores of Paras arrived in the Helmand town Sangin on Tuesday after reports that the Taliban had seized and massacred 32 civilians.

The troops were backed by attack helicopters but there were no reports of any shots being fired.