IT may have taken more than double the amount of time it should have, but a Redditch lad has battled against the odds to become a Royal Marine.

Daniel Poole, 21, suffered a series of setbacks while training which included two fractured metatarsals in his foot.

The training, which usually takes 32 weeks, took Daniel almost 18 months to complete.

Last week he attended his Pass Out Parade in Lympstone in Devon.

Daniel’s mum Jayne said: “After what Dan has been through all his family and friends are immensely proud of him.

“I won’t deny that he had low points while training. They all do, but with plenty of support they get through it.

“They do say 99.9 per cent of people need not apply as Marines as training is very tough, so given that he managed it with broken bones is all the more impressive.”

Daniel, who decided to join the Royal Marines while on a public service course at Stratford college, is now on an LGV course at Leconsfield before going to his new unit based at Plymouth.

He will then head off to America to complete more training.

Jayne added: “Dan was over the moon to pass out, especially as there were four big tests to do at the end including a 30 mile trek across Dartmoor.

“Of course we’re worried were he will be deployed. There’s a good chance it will be Afghanistan next year, but we just hope the training he has had will keep him safe.”