Apprentice Michelle Holdsworth has got herself a plumb job.

The 18-year-old is flushed with pride after becoming Bradford Community Housing Trust's first female plumber.

And the teenager from Holme Wood is hoping she will set the trend for more women to follow her into the traditionally male-only trade.

Michelle has been working flat out to impress her bosses at the trust's repairs and maintenance depot in Saltaire since she joined the team.

Bradford Building Services - part of the trust - has 35 apprentices on its books at the moment and is looking for more youngsters, especially females, who want to pick up skills in plumbing like Michelle, joinery, bricklaying and electrical work.

She gets one day off to go to college and the rest of the week works alongside experienced plumbers who carry out about 60,000 repairs across the district a year in tenants' homes.

She said: "It's a brilliant job. I've always been a hands-on kind of person so there were no big surprises when I told teachers and my family that I wanted to be a plumber. Concentrating on bits of paper was never one of my strong-points, two minutes would be a personal record but hand me a spanner and I'm totally focused."

Michelle's bosses at BBS said their new recruit was making her mark.

Head of business development Delroy Beverley said: "She's doing extremely well and we are delighted she is progressing her career with us. She is enthusiastic, keen to learn and is a good team member."

It took more than 50 letters to trade companies across the district before Michelle got in touch with BBS and was invited for an interview and to have a go at a practical test.

"They were really nice to me and gave me the chance to prove myself. I'm so glad they did - I couldn't wish to be working anywhere better or with a better load of mates," said Michelle.

She will qualify as a plumber in July but is being encouraged to stay on by her BBS bosses to go for an advanced apprenticeship which will take another two years.

Michelle added: "There's more to being a plumber than just fixing leaks or putting in showers, there's the people side of it too. It's really rewarding to see the satisfaction on people's faces when you've done a good job."

Another perk of being a plumber is never being short of friends. "I've never been so popular. Friends are always asking me round - to put a seal round the bath or fix a dripping tap," she said.