Family and friends have paid an emotional tribute to a soldier killed during a foot patrol in southern Afghanistan.

Lance Corporal Stephen Kingscott, of Gloucestershire's the 1st Battalion The Rifles, died on Monday after coming under fire near Lashkar Gah in Helmand Province. The 22-year-old was the eighth serviceman to be killed in the country this year.

Parents Wendy and Michael, sister Laura and fiancee Gemma said: "He will always be our hero and always in our thoughts."

They described him as "our loving son, brother, grandson and fiance, who died for his country".

Lieutenant Colonel Joe Cavanagh, Commanding Officer of 1 Rifles, said L/Cpl Kingscott was a "model Rifleman" who died despite "the very best efforts" of his colleagues.

They included members of the Afghan National Army, with whom the soldiers were carrying out a joint operation.

Col Cavanagh said: "The depth of Steve's previous experience and the speed with which he picked up new skills made him a model Rifleman, no more so than on operations.

"That he was also a battalion 1st XI footballer and cricketer gives some idea of the breadth of his talent. We are so sorry for Steve's parents and family, his beloved girlfriend, and his friends; they will miss him terribly, as we will.

"He was a splendid representative of the battalion and The Rifles. We are all very proud to have served alongside him."

After leaving John Kitto Community College, L/Cpl Kingscott, from Plymouth, enlisted in the Army and trained at Harrogate and Catterick in North Yorkshire. He then joined 1st Battalion, The Devonshire and Dorset Regiment.

He served in Iraq with the battalion before it was merged into 1st Battalion The Rifles, whose origins lie in the old Gloucestershire Regiment.

The Forest of Dean District Council will hold a minute's silence at its next full meeting to remember L/Cpl Kingscott and the other soldiers from 1 Rifles killed in active service.

Council chairman Marrilyn Smart paid tribute saying: "I am deeply saddened by the death of L/Cpl Stephen Kingscott, the fourth soldier from Beachley (where the battalion is based) killed in action in Afghanistan.

"I will be inviting council members and officers to join me in observing a minute's silence at our next meeting."

L/Cpl Kingscott – known as "Schnoz" – also served in Belize and the Falkland Islands.

Colleagues paid tribute to his "irrepressible" sense of humour, cheerfulness in adversity and physical fitness. They added that they "always found themselves behind L/Cpl Kingscott when advancing on the enemy".

Armed Forces Minister Bob Ainsworth said: "We need to give our condolences to the family and friends of L/Cpl Stephen Kingscott of 1 Rifles, the latest British soldier to give his life in Afghanistan." But he said there were no plans to reduce the number of British troops in Afghanistan as the US government pledged to send thousands more to the country.

Defence Secretary John Hutton said: "L/Cpl Stephen Kingscott was by all accounts a man of great character and ability, fearless in battle and a model Riflemen.

"His last action was typical, in the thick of the fight and beside his comrades and the Afghan soldiers whose country he was helping to rebuild.

"I can add nothing to the tribute from his parents, for whom he was a hero who died for his country, and they have my deepest respect and sympathy."

The number of British servicemen and women killed in Afghanistan since the start of operations in 2001 is now 145.