A NORTH Yorkshire soldier who died saving seven comrades from Taliban gunfire is expected to be awarded the Victoria Cross today.

Corporal Bryan Budd, 29, from Ripon, was killed when he single-handedly stormed a Taliban position in Helmand, Afghanistan, earlier this year.

His grieving widow Lorena, 23, a clerk with the Royal Artillery, has been told he will be awarded Britains highest gallantry medal, it was reported today.

It will be the first time a posthumous Victoria Cross has been awarded since the Falklands conflict, nearly 25 years ago.

The award will be one of more than 40 bravery awards to be announced today to soldiers who fought in southern Afghanistan this summer, The Sun reported.

* Full story in tomorrow's Northern Echo.