A STREET named in honour of a soldier who was killed in action has been officially unveiled today.

"Skippys Close" was opened at the site of a new development of four houses and a remodified Grade-3 listed cottage, off Abb Scott Lane, in Low Moor.

The street name is in honour of Sergeant Peter Anthony Rayner - nicknamed "Skippy" - from 2nd Battalion The Duke of Lancaster’s Regiment, who was killed while serving in Afghanistan in October 2010.

Plans for the tribute were first touted back in 2019 and a group of his former comrades, including Wesley Owens (pictured top left), his family, members of the British Legion, and Craig Carter (pictured top middle), the builder of the development, were at the unveiling ceremony on Friday morning, at 11.30am.

Sergeant Rayner's widow, Wendy Rayner (pictured top right), said the event was "really emotional".

She added: "I thought I was going to be able to hold it together, but I did get teary eyed, so did Wes.

"It's something never forgotten for us, it's part of us, as we've all come from a military background.

"That street will still be there for people to see when we've all gone, so they'll always know who he is."

The street sign was covered in flowers and balloons to mark the occasion.

Mrs Rayner explained that the soldier was called "Skippy" because he used to "tut" a lot and that many young soldiers and Fiji soldiers used to refer to him as "dad" due to his leadership qualities.

She said about the sign: "It's less serious and more personalised.

"It's his lads opening the street, it's more for the military side of things."

Councillor Dave Green (Lab, Wibsey) has worked with the family throughout the years to try identify a suitable location to celebrate the late soldier.

He was also at the ceremony and presented a speech before the sign was revealed.

A plaque will also be erected in the gardens at the front of the housing development in the next six to eight weeks.

It will be attached to a sculpture made from an old pipe and gives details about who Sergeant Rayner was.

During his time in the army the soldier, a loyal Bradford City fan, also served in Bosnia and Macedonia.

He was killed when he was struck by an improvised explosive device whilst leading his men on patrol in the Nahr-e Saraj district of Helmand province.

When he died the Ministry of Defence said: “His bravery and courage attracted much praise and he cemented a reputation as one of the best Javelin Commanders in the Army.”