ENGINEER Andrea Wood is making her mark in the male dominated world of construction.

Andrea, 25, from Oswaldwistle, is site engineer at City South, Bellway Homes' site in the centre of Manchester.

She is one of two just women out of more than 170 workers who are completing on the huge project to build 183 luxury apartments and penthouses.

According to the women and manual trades pressure group around one in 100 building workers are women, apart from support workers such as catering and secretarial staff.

Andrea already has a degree in building engineering and is studying for a post-graduate diploma. She is joined on the site by Michelle Dean, a quantity surveyor from Middlewich.

She said: "Our experience has dispelled the myth that a construction site is a difficult environment for a woman,

"It's a relaxed atmosphere to work in, we are always treated with courtesy and are respected for the skills that we bring to the job."

Clive Pirrie, contract manager for John Mowlen which is carrying out the construction work, said: "The days are long gone when there was a stigma attached to women in the construction trade and we see a steady number of female recruits.

"Mowlem has an equal opportunity policy and employs women on its sites throughout the North West.

"Women have shown they can carry out their role as well as any man and successfully work alongside their male colleagues to get the job done."