Tributes have been paid to a "hugely committed" soldier who died after being shot during a live-firing exercise.

Private Conor McPherson, 24, from The Black Watch, 3rd Battalion, the Royal Regiment of Scotland, died after suffering a serious head wound at the Otterburn Training Area in Northumberland at around 11.15pm on Monday night.

His commanding officer, Lieutenant Colonel Alasdair Steele, said: "Private McPherson was a capable young soldier who had previously trained in both Kenya and France.

"He was hugely committed about his career in the Army, he had aspirations to join the machine gun platoon and attend a junior leadership course at the start of next year.

"He constantly drove to develop himself physically and was well liked among his peers for his sharp wit and sense of humour.

"However, Private McPherson's true passion was to his parents and his older sister - he was part of a very close-knit family and his great joy was spending time with them at the weekends and over leave.

"The entire battalion's thoughts are very much with his family and friends."

Private McPherson, from Paisley, Renfrewshire, enlisted into the Royal Regiment of Scotland in May 2014 as a combat infantryman.