TROOPS in Afghanistan have taken time out from fighting on the front line to thank residents who have donated relief parcels.

Brecon Town Council's Afghanistan Appeal was given the cold shoulder by the Ministry of Defence, who discouraged the posting of packages by anyone other than close friends and family.

But the council, inundated with aid bundles crammed with home comforts and hygiene essentials from Powys residents, defied the MoD's advice and sent the parcels to Afghanistan anyway.

Read the Brecon & Radnor Express for the full story - out now