A Battersea woman and her team beat off stiff international competition last week to be crowned winners of the Cooling the Planet environmental award.

Lizzie Batchelor, 26, of Battersea Rise, along with her Planet AECOM teammates, 25-year-olds Fabia Pennington and Gabriel Burton, 24-year-old David Davies, as well as Peter Armitage and Paul Szczesiak -both 23, claimed victory over 25 teams from across the globe for their innovative idea to turn waste into energy.

The six-piece, who all work for engineering firm Faber Maunsell, said they would turn organic waste which is normally sent to landfill into useful energy by exposing it to extreme heat using a method called hydro-pyrolysis.

This converts waste into oil and gas which can then be used as fuel, and the by-product - biochar - can also be used to fertilise soil.

Lizzie said: “We all put so much work into developing our ideas and to be recognised as the winning entry was the cherry on the cake.

"There were teams there from all over the world from Malaysia to America so it was amazing for the judges to choose us.

“It was also great to meet like-minded people who have the same passion as we do for combating climate change.”

Each team member won £500 from the competition organisers, the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE), and Lizzie already knows what she is spending it on.

“I’m moving house next week, so I was planning to get a new carpet - made from natural fibres of course,” she added.