A plumber has been rewarded for his hard work with an accolade held by fewer than 200 people in the country.

Chris Teale, of Morpeth Avenue, Borehamwood, was given the Master Plumbers Certificate at a special award ceremony in Mill Hill yesterday.

The 33-year-old is the 169th person to receive the honour and said now feels  “incredibly proud” of his achievement.

Mr Teale, a dad-of-two, said: “I thought I had a chance when I applied for it, but when I found out I had been approved it was a dream come true.

“I felt absolutely honored during the ceremony. My friends were at the ceremony cheering me on and I was so chuffed.

“Ever since I was a child I knew I wanted to do something in engineering so becoming a plumber was natural to me.”

Mr Teale has been a plumber and heating engineer for 17 years, and started his own business in December 2011.