A LLANRUG student has been awarded the title of ‘Best Young Engineer’.

Owen Bracegirdle, a Coleg Llandrillo Civil Engineering student who graduated this summer with a first-class honours degree, was awarded the honour by the Chartered Institute of Highways and Transportation at the institute’s annual awards dinner at The Kinmel in Abergele.

The Chartered Institute of Highways and Transportation Cymru Wales awards celebrate the best of highways and transportation, and this year welcomed Welsh rugby international Ryan Jones, who captained Wales 33 times, including when the team won the grand slam in 2008 and 2012, as after dinner speaker.

The 28-year-old was encouraged to enter the after his end of year dissertation so impressed tutor David Roberto at the college's Rhos-on-Sea campus, that he submitted it as a scientific paper to the institute.

It centred on how Penrhyn Quarry at Bethesda, working with the company Tensar, could use their mountains of slate quarry waste in road construction, thus making a product that would make road building more economic, whilst recycling industrial waste in the process. Owen works for Egniol, which is based in Bangor and is an independent multi-disciplinary engineering, environmental and project management consultancy.

Assistant Principal at Coleg Llandrillo, Kevin Potts, said: “Well done to Owen on being recognised within the field of Welsh engineering. This is an excellent achievement, both for Owen and our dedicated Engineering staff.”