THE families of four soldiers killed in Afghanistan last night supported calls for lessons to be learned after a coroner ruled they were “unlawfully killed” because of failings in their training and equipment.

Coroner David Masters said he would write to defence bosses over the deaths of troops including Trooper Paul Stout from Woolton and Burscough-born Corporal Sarah Bryant.

Pte Stout’s parents, Ginette and Alan, said: “These brave, bright, young people may still be alive today if they had the right equipment and the proper full training. Hopefully there must be lessons learned from this terrible tragedy.”

Maureen Feely, the mother of Corporal Bryant, added however: “We do not want some of the issues this inquest has raised to detract from Sarah’s bravery, dedication and selflessness.

“We understand why Sarah has received so much media attention, but this is something she would have hated.

“She would not have wished to be treated any differently from any of her colleagues.

“She was a soldier who died with honour.”

Cpl Bryant and Trooper Stout died with Corporal Sean Robert Reeve and Lance Corporal Richard Larkin when their Snatch Land Rover was hit by a roadside bomb in 2008.

The six-day inquest into their deaths heard a string of criticisms of their equipment and training.

The hearing was told the soldiers were not shown how to use metal detectors in the UK because of an equipment shortage. That meant troops were forced to hunt out an expert on their base in Afghanistan who passed on his knowledge.

The Ebex metal detector only became available four months into their deployment.

Until then, the soldiers scanned the ground themselves for homemade bombs.