A leading engineer who helped to design the London Eye has been made a CBE for services to structural and civil engineering.

Jane Wernick, of Upper Park Road, Belsize Park, was in charge of the engineering behind the London Eye, also known as the Millennium Wheel, which opened to passengers on the South Bank of the River Thames in 2000.

The 60-year-old, who grew up in Mall Studios, Tasker Road, Hampstead, began work on the iconic Ferris wheel in 1994 and set up her own engineering firm, Jane Wernick Associates, in 1998.

Ms Wernick, a civil engineering graduate from the University of Southampton, has worked on a number of well-known projects during her career, including the Treetop Walkway in Kew Gardens and the Young Vic theatre in South Bank.

She said: “I’m very interested in working on projects that give delight and I think there are lots and lots of aspects of our built environment that can influence our well-being. It’s great to be recognised and I feel chuffed.”