A TAUNTON plumber has been shortlisted for a national award with the chance to win £10K.

Steve Bartin, from Plug and Chain on St James Street, has been listed as one of 18 finalists for UK Plumber of the Year 2018.

The awards were launched by JT, a shower tray manufacturer, in partnership with Bristan, a shower and tap company, and Wolseley UK, a supplier of plumbing and heating products.

After being overwhelmed with entries from all over the UK, a judging panel from partners Watersafe had selected Steve as one of three plumbers in the South England region to go into the next stage of the competition.

The public will now vote for who they believe deserves the title in each of the chosen regions, with the six regional finalists going through to the grand final to be crowned Plumber of the Year 2018.

Now in its fourth year, the competition called on plumbers nationwide to enter in a bid to find Britain’s finest. The competition is designed to reward and recognise the remarkable talent within the UK plumbing industry and ask entrants to demonstrate their plumbing, service and business skills.

The six plumbers with the most regional votes will be invited to an interview session with the judging panel, made up of experts from JT, Bristan and Wolseley UK, who will then decide the winner. The UK Plumber of the Year 2018 will win £10,000 worth of prizes, including JT, Bristan and Wolseley UK products/vouchers plus products from Proper Job Beer Rothenberger, CK Tools, Salamander, Filplastic, First Stop and BigWipes.

Mr Bartin said: “I’m over the moon to have made the shortlist for UK Plumber of the Year 2018. I take pride from being able to have built my business on ‘word of mouth’ from loyal customers I’ve worked with over the years and many of my customers come back to me time and time again. Customer service and getting this right is one of the most important aspects of my business and I’m looking forward to many more years doing something I take great pride and pleasure from.”

To vote for Steve, go to ukplumberoftheyear.com/vote-for-this-years-winner/.

The deadline for votes is Wednesday, September 5.