A St Albans pupil’s design was chosen out of hundreds of entries as the winner of a national competition.

Orla Connelly, 11, from Loreto College, was asked to find an innovative solution to a major world problem as part of the AECOM Imagineers competition.

In response, she designed a pipeline to transport water from wet to dry countries in an attempt to combat water shortage.

Associate director of transportation at AECOM’s St Albans office, Karen Britton, said: “We are encouraging children to develop a passion for subjects in science, technology, engineering and math at an early stage and making the prospect of working for a company like AECOM one that is within reach, regardless of their backgrounds.”

Orla received her prize, a framed copy of the technical drawing of her pipeline, at an awards ceremony held at Loreto College earlier this month.

Following its huge success, AECOM intend to run its Imagineers competition again in 2019.