A COUNTY Durham sailor has made a poignant return to his roots while serving onboard a ship in Singapore.

Paul Tebbit, a Royal Navy operator mechanic, is serving on HMS Gloucester, which has been deployed to the Far East and Africa.

Paul was born in Singapore, when his father was stationed there in 1969, but was brought up in Darlington and went to school in Newton Aycliffe and at New College, Durham.

He joined the Royal Navy last February and has already served in the Mediterranean and West Africa on HMS Liverpool.

He said: "Life in the Navy is extremely varied, and since finishing my training last October I have visited ten countries.

"Visiting Singapore was a particular personal ambition, as I left when I was only two-years-old. I was impressed by its cleanliness and its vast cultural mixture, from Western influence to the traditional Malay way of life, to the Chinese cuisine."