THE mother of the youngest soldier killed in Afghanistan has yet to find out whether the death in service payment she received will stop her claiming income support.

Lucy Aldridge, from Bredenbury, has been unable to work after suffering an accident at work in 2003.

Her 18-year-old son, William, was killed by an explosion in the Sangin region of the country in July 2009 - leading to a payout of £66,000 to her.

She returned from a Remembrance Service on Thursday, November 11 to find a letter from the Department of Work and Pensions telling her the money made her ineligible to claim benefits.

Mrs Aldridge has now been told there is a lack of precedent for dealing with her set of circumstances.

The case has been further complicated because she was William’s next of kin and not his dependent or spouse.