Although based in the middle of the desert Camp Bastion provides an opportunity for the local nationals.

In the cooler, less dusty, seasons it's possible to see from the camp gates a settlement that's been established nearby to provide petrol and food for local drivers who bring supplies to the camp.

A stream which is the camp's outlet for waste water and human waste, which has been treated, has created a mini green zone - fertile land where the local farmers have started to grow watermelons.

The drivers earn more than they could hope to anywhere else and to them it's worth the risk they take in being associated with the forces.

I'm told of one driver who had been shot, but continued to drive to the camp to complete his work despite his injury to ensure he got paid.

Also to the camp gates come local nationals seeking news of relatives. They will be told if their relative has been detained or is being treated in the field hospital where they're allowed to visit.

I meet the gentleman who is responsible for handling bodies within the field hospital, packing them to send back home, or trying to find their family if they're Afghan to return the body.

Anyone entering or leaving the camp goes through layers of security, and explosives have been found before in lorries, which are searched by hand and sniffer dog.

One of the spaniels is rewarded for his morning's work with a game of fetch into a water-filled container, watched enviously by sweaty humans wearing heavy armour in the baking heat.

I consume at least eight litres of water a day. Luckily we're never far from a bottle of water, which is offered by everyone we meet. Camp Bastion's strategic desert location means it is built over a huge reservoir. Treated water from the reservoir is used to collect 40,000 to 70,000 litres of water that are bottled in a facility based at the camp.

One of the bottles, labelled "bottled at Camp Bastion" has been auctioned for hundreds of pounds for charity.