Inspired by the story of a roadside bomb victim, lawyer Hilary Meredith is campaigning for improved rights for our troops.

Driven by her work for Sergeant Rick Clements, who lost both his legs and was told he could never have children, she is urging the Ministry Of Defence to bring in new policies to educate soldiers about the devastating effects of Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs).

Ms Meredith, senior partner at Hilary Meredith solicitors, in Wilmslow, wants to make sure soldiers know their rights before deployment and get proper guidance on what they can do if the worst happens.

She said: "IEDs are a constant threat to the safety and security of our troops.

"The technology used to construct them is constantly changing and our defences don’t always work.

"Soldiers return home with nightmarish injuries – some even suffer complete lower body amputation.

"Life changes forever for those who survive this trauma and everyday choices such as starting a family of their own may no longer be open."

In America, soldiers are given the option of preserving sperm prior to deployment and are also given groin protectors as standard issue.

Ms Meredith wants these policies adopted in the UK, while another strand of her campaign is directed at the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme (AFCS).

Brought in by government in April 2005, the AFCS caps compensation at £570,000, no matter how severe the injuries sustained are. By contrast, a civilian suffering the same damage could receive up to £4m.

Sgt Clements, 31, from Chatburn, near Clitheroe, was serving in the Duke Of Lancaster’s Regiment, when he stepped on a mine while on patrol in Afghanistan in May 2010.

Ms Meredith said: "Devising a tariff-based injury scheme was always going to be difficult but the MOD’s unique insight into war injuries should have been reflected in the established tariff.

"Unfortunately, the system has fallen woefully short and despite recent reviews, remains so.

"Soldiers in particular often suffer multiple injuries in one incident. The tariff seeks to award 100 per cent for the first ‘main’ injury – in itself hard to determine – and then reduce each further injury on a sliding percentage based scale.

"To add insult to injury, the whole award is capped at £570,000 – a very small amount to provide for a young soldier for life.

"The total sum of £570,000 constitutes a fundamental failure to provide for injured soldier, especially when they are often medically discharged into ‘civvy street’ with no further earning capacity."

Tweet