A soldier from Suffolk with the Territorial Army who faces a lifetime of pain after an accident in Afghanistan has brought a £250,000 damages claim against the Ministry of Defence.

Kieran Murphy was with 9 Parachute Squadron RE, taking part in Operation Herrick 13, when he was injured at Patrol Base Nahidullah in October 2010.

The 21-year-old sapper was working away from the battlefield when he was hit by a large and heavy roll of material - used to create roads for tanks and other vehicles - being unloaded from a lorry by two colleagues.

Striking him on the neck and shoulder, it left him briefly unconscious, smashed one tooth and fractured four others.

After being evacuated to Camp Bastion for treatment, Mr Murphy, of Ipswich Close, Woodbridge, was flown back to the UK in December 2010.

His counsel, Scott Matthewson, told Judge Rosalind Coe at London’s High Court that while the accident caused relatively minor injuries, it gave rise in due course to the condition of fibromyalgia.

“It is common ground that he suffers from that now and will suffer from widespread pain, albeit of varying intensity, for the rest of his life.”

Mr Murphy, who comes from a Forces family, was discharged from the Army in September 2013 and now has difficulties involving heavy physical work and stressful environments.

Apart from the chronic widespread pain, he had also suffered an episode of depression, but had managed to find employment within the NHS.

The MoD disputes that the accident caused the fibromyalgia, which can occur spontaneously, and says that the effects of Mr Murphy’s injury ended within three months.

The hearing will focus on conflicting evidence from pain experts for the two sides.