A Bingley gasman has beaten 5,000 others from around the country to scoop the title of British Gas engineer of the year.

Steve Newiss, 44, a repair and service engineer, soared above colleagues to win the top prize for offering excellent customer service backed by a high standard of technical and safety expertise.

Steve, who has been with British Gas for 28 years, said he was "amazed" to win.

"Nobody was more surprised than me, I never expected to win it," he said.

He works alongside 41 engineers in the Keighley area and said he enjoyed the job and the variety of work.

"It's getting out and meeting different people and sorting people's problems that makes the job interesting," he said.

He lives in Bingley with partner Angie and his daughters Rebecca, 16, and Leanne, 15, who go to Bingley Grammar School.

And Steve is no stranger to high-flying. He began paragliding in 1997 and has just returned from a trip to Spain where he was gliding over mountains at 7,000 feet above the ground.

"At times we were flying with eagles and at other times we were actually above the clouds - it was fantastic," he said.

He is also currently featured on the British Gas website www.house.co.uk in a section representing the excellence of engineers to the public.