GARAGE owners Derek and Matthew Pestridge of D&D Autos in Ashford, Kent collected an award for Garage of the Year at the IAAF awards.

"It was a bit of a shock to win - it was only at half past one in the afternoon that we decided to definitely go!"

Modestly, Mr. Pestridge puts the garage's success down to the operations manager - namely his daughter Lorraine Fuller. "She gets on top of the paperwork and contacts all of the customers to make sure everything happens as it should and that we do what we need to do."

The award follows a number of local prizes awarded by the Kant Chamber of Commerce for excellent practice. This long-established family business recently expanded into much larger premises with numerous MOT lanes and a conference suite.