AN engineer has received an award from the oldest professional engineering association in the world.

Nick Zissler, who lives in Darlington, has been awarded Chartered Civil Engineer Membership of the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE).

Mr Zissler, who grew up in Richmond, works as a design engineer for Network Rail in York, and was presented his membership certificate by ICE President Andrew Wyllie at a special ceremony held at ICE’s headquarters in Westminster.

He said: “I’ve always liked figuring out how things work, taking things to bits and re-building them.

“Working on the Civil Assessment Framework Agreement, delivering assessments of significant railway structures ensuring the network is safe has been my career highlight to date.”

ICE represents more than 92,000 civil engineers and technicians across the world who design, build and maintain transport, water, energy, waste and flood infrastructure.

Penny Marshall, regional director of ICE North East, said: “Achieving ICE Chartered Civil Engineer Membership is a significant personal and career achievement and we are proud to welcome Nick as a member of ICE.

“He joins a community of professionals who are committed to shaping, improving and protecting the infrastructure on which we all depend. ICE congratulates Nick on his success and looks forward to supporting him throughout his career.”

Mr Zissler added: “I would urge anyone who is considering a career in engineering to get industry experience as soon as possible and get your hands dirty.”