An inspirational role model at Sellafield has been awarded an OBE for services to the nuclear industry.

Dorothy Gradden, head of programme delivery legacy ponds, has been recognised in the latest Queen's Birthday Honours list.

The Beckermet woman has in charge of the clean-up of the two Sellafield legacy fuel ponds.

Paul Foster, Sellafield Ltd's chief executive, said: "Dorothy is an exemplary leader. She plays a vitally important role at Sellafield, delivering technically challenging risk and hazard reduction while leading her team with passion and enthusiasm.

"Dorothy is a role model for young people in engineering, and for all these reasons I’m delighted she has been recognised in this way."

The 55-year-old has spoken about the inspirational women in her life.

Dorothy was born in Anfield in Liverpool, and was brought up solely by her mum following her father's death.

She described her late mother, Jeannette, as "a wonderful inspirational woman".

Dorothy says her mum instilled key messages of encouragement in her, including: "Be the best that you can – it doesn’t matter how well you do as long as you try your best."

"We are all equally important. Who we are isn’t set by how much money we have but what we do, hard working, loyalty, honesty, don’t be afraid to speak out are all values that she instilled in me," she said.

Dorothy won a scholarship to the Belvedere GPDST private school, where her love for science grew, and she was inspired by her physics teacher.

"She encouraged me to think about science as a career, maybe applied physics. I don’t think anyone from my school had ever read Engineering. Engineering really appealed to me as there were so many options and all had a really practical focus."

Dorothy gained sponsorship by the National Nuclear Corporation (NNC) to read Nuclear Engineering at Manchester University.

She worked for NNC until 1999 on numerous programmes moving from design roles, into commercial, tender management and project management. This included being the first Hinckley C project manager.

Her role then changed to look at decommissioning work at Aldermaston, Dounreay, Harwell, Winfrith and Sellafield.

"I have pretty much worked on projects for every nuclear site in the UK and a few abroad. My final position with them was major projects director," she said.

In 1999, she joined BNFL. She has mainly worked in the legacy ponds area in different roles.

In December 2012, she became head of programme for Pile Fuel Storage Pond before working on First Generation Magnox Storage Pond in March 2015.

Last July, the two programmes were put together to form legacy ponds.

Dorothy said: "I really do feel that this is what my career has been all about. I have the best job on site, technically challenging, leading a large culture change programme and delivering risk and hazard reduction every day. It really is a privilege to do this job."

She is mum to teenage son Josh and her partner is Paul Stewart, who is head of projects at Sellafield Ltd.