A ST ALBANS engineering design business has been given the Queen's Award for Enterprise for its imaginative resuscitation of a technology invented in the Industrial Revolution.

Screwfast Foundations Ltd, which is based in Smallford, provides an alternative to concrete foundations for buildings and structures such as communication masts.

The company's systems, which are individually designed for each job, are based on steel piles screwed, rather than driven, into the ground.

The technology was abandoned on the invention of concrete as it was cheaper, but in the modern world it has many advantages.

Director Beth McGregor said: "They take hours rather than days to install, create no spoil to be dumped, are completely removable, create no disturbing vibration and are suitable for all kinds of tall structures such as telecom towers and railway signals."

Another advantage is that the steel piles are ready to use as soon as they are installed, unlike concrete which has to be left to cure.

Director Dan Dye said: "It is quick, and superior to concrete as there is no messy digging out."

The systems also have an environmental benefit, as there is no concrete slag to dispose of.

They are designed in Smallford, where 17 people, including the four directors, are employed, but made and delivered to each site by contractors.

Screwfast trains its customers' workers to install them, saving a great deal of time and cash, particularly useful when disruptive closures of railways or roads are involved.

It is constantly striving to produce innovations, such as the "Angel Pile" with supporting wings.

Ms McGregor said: "This British invention of the 1830's, so nearly forgotten in the land of its birth, is once again helping to highlight the United Kingdom as the home of innovative ideas."