Cross Hills soldier Michael Scott had a surprise waiting for him when he returned home from Iraq this week.

For his proud family had decorated the outside of their Main Street home with red and white welcome balloons.

"We wanted to do something special so he could understand how much we have missed him," said his proud mum Janice.

Michael, 19, a paratrooper with 3 Para, left for Iraq in mid February and was one of the first to enter the southern city of Basra during the conflict

"We encountered a little bit of trouble but most of the people ran off," said Michael, a former pupil of Holy Family School, Keighley. "We had to carry out some ambushes to take out enemy pockets, but there wasn't a lot of opposition."

Their final task was to police a town in the aftermath of the war. Now safely back home in Cross Hills, Michael plays down his war experiences.

"I didn't really know what to expect. We were shot at by snipers, but they didn't get close," he joked.

And that is something his family will be very pleased about.

His mum told the Herald: "It has been a difficult time. It was very painful watching the news reports and I have cried loads over the past few months.

"But you have no control of your children's lives. Michael has always wanted to be a soldier - it was his lifelong ambition."

After completing a training course at Harrogate's Foundation College at the age of 17, Michael joined the Paras and has also seen service in the Falklands. He returned to his unit in Colchester on Monday.