THE mother of a Merseyside airman killed when a Nimrod spy plane exploded in Afghanistan has called for lessons to be learned.

Flight Lieutenants Steven Swarbrick, 28, from Formby, and Allan Squires, 39, from Clatterbridge, Wirral, and Sergeant John Langton, 29, from Garston, were among 14 crew members killed over Kandahar when leaking fuel was ignited by a hot air pipe on September 2, 2006.

A new independent review by Charles Haddon-Cave, QC, has found that money was saved by the Ministry of Defence (MOD) and RAF at the expense of safety.

Pam Swarbrick, the mother of Flt Lt Steven Swarbrick, said: "I would like to thank Charles Haddon-Cave for the time, effort and dedication he has given to the review.

"Let us hope not only that lessons have been learned, but that they will be heeded and acted upon responsibly. My thanks to the friends, family and everyone who has wished me well and humbled me with their kindness and consideration in the last three years.

“I wish again to pay tribute to my precious son, Steven, along with his 13 colleagues, who paid the ultimate price for their total professionalism and dedication to their duty."