Five Kent gurkhas have been awarded the Military Cross at Buckingham Palace for their work while on duty in Afghanistan.

The members of the 5th Battalion the Royal Gurkha Rifles, based in Folkestone, have been recognised for their individual acts of bravery while based at Kandahar.

While on tour one member of the Battalion was killed - 15 others were wounded.

Today's honours come after more than 1,000 people in Folkestone signed a petition for retired Gurkhas over the weekend in just one hour.

The campaign hopes to allow Gurkhas who retired before 1997 to stay in the UK and to receive the same pension as other soldiers.