A TEENAGE soldier who was told he could lose both legs after being caught in a bomb blast in Afghanistan is back on his feet thanks to skilled army surgeons.

Ben Bainbridge, of Shiptonthorpe, East Yorkshire, was on patrol in Helmand province in January when his unit was ambushed by the Taliban.

Pte Bainbridge, who was 18 at the time, suffered horrendous leg injuries in the bomb blast which field medics thought could cost him both limbs.

Now Ben’s step-father, Andrew Tripp, of Market Weighton, said the young soldier is gradually learning to walk again and he intends to continue his career with the Yorkshire Regiment.

He said: “One leg was damaged and one was touch-and-go. He had lost a lot of blood flow and that had to be restored. So they took arteries from his right leg and transferred them to his left.”

Following the emergency surgery at Camp Bastion in Afghanistan, Pt Bainbridge is now back in UK and facing more gruelling operations on his injured leg.

Mr Tripp said: “They put steel rods in to his leg then they laid all the shattered boned around the rod with the hope that they will knit back together. They haven’t quite done so yet but it takes a long time.

“He is in a wheelchair quite a lot of the time because he can’t much pressure on his leg. He can go around on crutches but it’s still quite painful.”

The 19-year-old now spends much of his time at Headley Court rehabilitation centre in Surrey and faces more operations, but Mr Tripp said his step-son is determined to walk again.

“It takes time,” he said. “But he’s aware everything’s going in the right direction. But he is still in the army and still looking at it as a career. It’s not really phased him – he takes it in his stride and he knows what’s been done is to get him back to health.”