AN expert working at a North-East drugs plant has gained a national award at a ceremony in the House of Lords.

Steve Walton, from Copley, in Teesdale, was awarded the Gold Award in the Viscount Oxford Awards for Excellence ceremony, in London.

The award scheme, which is run by the Institute for Supervision and Management, recognises achievements in leadership, and draws hundreds of entries from around the country.

Mr Walton, 35, who works at the GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) plant, in Barnard Castle, County Durham, is trained in the use of tools and methods to eliminate waste at the site.

Mr Walton said: "This is a tremendous achievement and the credit really must go to the team I work with.

"I acted as a catalyst in providing the tools, techniques and guidance. It was the inhalations team which had the drive and commitment to introduce the improvements in line with our future needs of our manufacturing site."

The Teesdale plant hit the headlines in June when the global drugs company GSK announced that it planned to axe 400 jobs from the plant during the next three years.

A spokeswoman at Barnard Castle GSK said Mr Walton's award was great news for the plant.

She said: "This is a wonderful achievement and proves the quality and expertise of the plant and its workforce."