HMP GLENOCHIL played host to a war hero on Monday as ex-SAS soldier Chris Ryan visited the prison as he tours his new book.

Ryan, famed for being the only member of an SAS mission in Iraq to survive, was in the Wee County to talk to inmates about ending the cycle of crime that many of them live within.

His new book, called Safe, is a manual in which the former army sergeant tells how to keep safe from the perils of modern urban life.

He leads readers through a variety of situations including what people should do when they think they're being followed, or when they are confronted by a group or a gang.

Ryan also offers advice for when caught up in the middle of a riot, when hearing gunfire or explosions in a crowded place, or if hearing on the radio that Russia has launched nuclear missiles that will land in the centre of London in two hours.

The author, who was awarded the coveted Military Medal, met with two groups of prisoners and spoke with them about his new book and told them about his career.

The 56-year-old encouraged the inmates to take up reading as they seek a life away from crime.

Nigel Ironside, governor of HMP Glenochil, said he was delighted at having someone of Ryan’s stature visit his Wee County jail.

He told the Advertiser: “I’m delighted that an author with the reputation of Chris was able to come and speak with our prisoners. It was great.

“We haven’t had proper feedback yet but I’m told that it was really well received. It is wonderful to have authors of that stature wanting to come in and speak.”

Describing what he usually sees in the prisoners after a visit, Mr Ironside, who served in the 1st Battalion Scots, said: “What we see is a peak in interest in literature.

“That particular genre is always popular but we see an influence in lighting a spark to read more of it.”

Safe, is released on October 19 and will be available in all book shops with 50 signed copies available in Stirling’s Waterstones store.