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A woman who founded a network of female plumbers has been made an MBE for her work to get more women into trades.

In 1990, primary school teacher Hattie Hasan, now 58, retrained to be a plumber but became self-employed as no-one would employ a woman.

She went on to found the Stopcocks, a network of women plumbers, and said the honour left her "chuffed to bits".

Ms Hasan, who grew up in London and now lives in Todmorden, West Yorkshire, wants more women to get into plumbing.

She said customers appreciated plumbers who turned up when they said they would, took care over their work and then cleaned up after themselves.

Ms Hasan said she felt isolated running her business and reached out to other female plumbers who had the same experience as her, even if they had trained years after she did.

She said: "They were telling me they were the only woman training to be a plumber in their college.

"They were saying they couldn't get work.

"I started to talk to women about becoming self-employed and take the same step as me."

She set up the network as a franchise and has women joining from across the country.

She goes into schools to talk to girls about learning a trade, and sells the idea of them becoming plumbers, saying: "Working for yourself is flexible, you work your own hours, it's a great career and it is a very good earner."

She said she was delighted to be honoured with an MBE, saying: "I feel I am an ordinary person and if ordinary people can get recognised for the work they do, it is fantastic.

"I was chuffed to bits."

She was made an MBE for services to women in the heating and plumbing industry.

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