SOMERSET Highways has been given a prestigious award for environmental excellence.

SOMERSET Highways has been given a prestigious award for environmental excellence.

The national Green Apple Award was handed to the group for its use of satellite navigation systems to protect environmentally sensitive sites on and around highways in the county.

The system provides a warning to highways workers as they are approaching an area where special treatment is required, such as sites with rare or protected wild orchids. The team collected a silver level Green Apple Award from the Houses of Parliament earlier this month.

Somerset Waste Partnership also picked up a silver award for its work in waste education, which has carried out over 1,100 school visits since 2002.