Lorry drivers and engineers with Bradford supermarket giant Morrisons are celebrating after receiving a top industry award.

The company's fleet has been awarded the euroShell Lifetime Achievement Award for making an 'outstanding contribution' to road haulage.

Morrisons was praised by the judges for reducing the environmental impact of its vehicles by achieving good fuel efficiency, carrying out regular maintenance work and adopting new engineering developments.

Managing director John Dowd, who was presented with the award at Truckfest 2001 recently, said: "We are absolutely delighted to have received this award. It is a tremendous accolade for our transport and maintenance teams and pays great tribute to all their hard work over the years.''

He added: "Good teamwork and regular, thorough maintenance ensure the reliable performance on which our stores depend for on-time deliveries."

Morrisons, which is the only United Kingdom superstore to run its own lorry fleet, serves 110 stores around the north of England from distribution centres in Yorkshire and Cheshire.

Around 96 per cent of all good sold at its stores are delivered by the firm's own vehicles.

The company is the first supermarket to ever to win the accolade, which it received from Andrew Manley, commercial manager for Shell UK.

The award crowns a successful start to 2001 for the company, which earlier this year joined the FTSE-100 list of top ranking businesses.