THE best friend and comrade of a North-East soldier who lost his life in Afghanistan has spoken of his pride after Eddie Stobart agreed to name a truck in his memory.

The haulage company has named one of its famous Scania lorries Deana Sarah as a tribute to Pte Dean Hutchinson, from Spennymoor, County Durham.

Pte Hutchinson, 23, lost his life in the early hours of Valentine’s Day 2011, along with another soldier, in a fire at Camp Bastion.

Lance Corporal Phil Procter, a fellow driver with the Royal Logistic Corps, was devastated by the loss of his close friend who he met in 9 Regiment, at Chippenham, and served alongside with 13 Air Assault Support, in Afghanistan.

Lance Cpl Procter was home on rest at the time of the fire and heard of his friend’s death as he travelled back to Afghanistan.

The 26-year-old said: “It was horrific to lose him and to find out the way I did, when someone told me in a supermarket in Chippenham.

“That was hard to deal with- he was my best friend, we did everything together.”

He and his mother, Lynda, paid £280 to win the right to name the vehicle in an auction at a charity night in memory of Pte Hutchinson, held in Spennymoor, in February.

The firm’s distinctive red and green vehicles are commonly given female names so they suggested Deana, using the initial from Pte Hutchinson’s middle name Adam, and Sarah, in tribute to his sister who was ‘born sleeping’.

Pte Procter, 26, of Barnsley, said: “The bond with Dean and his family will always be there, I’ll keep visiting them and wanted to support them and the fundraiser.

“I was determined to get that Eddie Stobart prize, to now have Dean’s name accepted and the lorry commissioned means a lot to us and his family, we’re very proud.”

L7847 Scania Deana Sarah made its first journey on April 12 and when a phone App showed it was visiting Barnsley last week Mrs Procter got her son out of bed to see it.

He said: “It was exciting, it was behind a gate making a delivery to Tesco but as the driver came out we asked if we could get a photo and the driver let us in the cab.

“As an Eddie Stobart fan, whose looking to drive for them after the Army, it was a special thing and I’m proud to know a truck named after Dean will be seen on roads all over.”