HINDLEY Green resident Ashley Stokes was crowned Apprentice of the Year at a glittering ceremony.

Mr Stokes received the coveted prize after successfully completing his training to become a paviour in the council's highways section.

Phil Grogan of Hindley Green, Lee Higham of Hindley were handed special merit prizes and modern apprentice Laura Fisher was also rewarded for her hard work at Wigan Council's annual awards ceremony for young apprentices.

The council's engineering chief Peter Taylor paid tribute to the apprentices who had undergone successful training in his department, which included building, highways, cleansing and transport.

Many of the young men and women are "modern apprentices", trained in a fixed term contract of three or four years. And with the numbers of skilled workers in many trades in decline, the role of the council in supporting them is vital.

The awards were presented by the Mayor of Wigan, Cllr John Hilton and the Cabinet Member for the Environment, Cllr David Molyneux.