A FORMER Wattsville man received an MBE in the Queen's New Year's Honours List for services to the police.

Lyndon Filer, 60, who now lives in Oxfordshire, was included in the awards honouring him for his role as Chief Executive of the Police Rehabilitation Centre in Goring-On-Thames.

The 140-bed centre, based at Flint House, employs 126 physiotherapists, nurses and healthcare professionals who help more than 3,200 injured police officers each year to get back to full operational health.

The centre is part of registered charity Police Rehabilitation Centre, which was set up in 1890.

Opened in 1988, the centre is funded through monthly donations made by serving police officers who contribute around £4million each year as well as funding from Force and private sources and income from investments.

Mr Filer, who lives with his wife Sally and two children Joel, 23 and Lauren, 21 was born and raised in Wattsville until the age of 25 and also lived in Newport for eight years before moving to Oxfordshire in 1985.

After working as an administrator in the community unit at the former Radcliffe Infirmary as well as in Chester, he then took up the role of administrator at the Police Rehabilitation Centre when it opened.

Although his job role stayed the same, his title was then changed to Chief Executive in 2000.

Mr Filer said: "I am very proud personally but also proud for all the staff at the centre who work so hard to maintain the excellent reputation which the police service has."