THE family of an Ongar soldier serving in Afghanistan have criticised the MoD for failing to deliver food parcels to their relative.

Byron Fry, 20, of the Shelley Estate in Ongar, phoned his relatives shortly after being posted at the start of October, saying he was hungry and had not been provided with basic toiletries such as a towel.

His worried parents, girlfriend, four sisters and brother sent him a total of 12 packages of food and supplies between them - but not a single one has arrived.

Mr Fry's sister Cheryl, 27, said: “We've sent him a towel, a razor, none of which the army gave him, and lots of chocolate, sweets, jerky [dried beef] and things like that and it makes me angry to think none of it's got to him.

“We're all very proud of him and he's out there fighting for us but he's not receiving any of our stuff.”

The family have also sent more than 24 letters to Mr Fry, but so far only two have arrived.

Within days of his arrival, he witnessed the death of another young soldier while out on patrol, although he has been told by officials not to talk about what happened.

Miss Fry said: “It's his first time over there and I think he's finding it hard. There's a lot he's not allowed to talk about but he's seemed quite quiet when you speak to him on the phone.”

Mr Fry, a former pupil of Shelley Primary School and St John's High in Epping is currently serving in the Second Battalion Coldstream Guards regiment.

The MoD told the Guardian that the problem was widespread because too many people were sending packages to troops.

A spokeswoman said the food served to troops was “fantastic” and that soldiers could buy supplies from army shops.

Captain Charlie Malcolm, Officer Commanding Herrick Postal and Courier Squadron, based at Camp Bastion, said: "Unfortunately backlogs of mail do build up from time to time, particularly at this time of year.

“The main cause of this is the huge and unmanageable number of welfare parcels, sent by well meaning members of the public, to recipients not personally known to the sender.

"This mail significantly delays the all important personal mail from soldiers' families.”