Troops are returning to their bases in East Anglia

The engineers from Waterbeach barracks in Cambridgeshire and Wattisham Airfield in Suffolk have been away for the past four months - first in Kuwait and then Iraq.

They provided technical and maintenance support to 16 Air Assault Brigade - a unit which has its headquarters in Colchester, Essex.

The troops from Waterbeach were part of the 23 Engineer Regiment, while the troops from Wattisham are part of the 7 Air Assault Battalion Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers.

They returned to their bases on Sunday evening and early on Monday morning.

The 16 Air Assault Brigade includes two battalions of the Parachute Regiment, plus battalions and units from the Royal Irish Regiment, the Royal Horse Artillery, the Household Cavalry Regiment and the Engineer Regiment.

Its equipment includes 105mm light guns plus Lynx and Gazelle helicopters, according to a British ministry of defence website on Operation Telic.