A plumber from Scotland has been chosen from over 3,000 entries as Britain's Top tradesman 2012 in the national competition organised by Screwfix.

Michael Cairns, 28, who trades under the name Celsius Plumbing and Heating, impressed the judges with his work ethic, dedication to his trade and passion for his job. As well as gaining the title of Britain’s Top Tradesman, Michael has also won a Renault van worth £27,000.

Michael said: “I am absolutely overjoyed at winning this year’s Britain’s Top Tradesman competition. I couldn’t believe it when I got the call to tell me I had won – it’s fantastic! The new van is great but the endorsement of the title is really going to help me to keep my business going from strength to strength.”

Michael, who takes his dog to work with him every day for company, is committed to helping support his local community, offering discounts to the elderly and donating his time and resources to charity. He also writes a blog on his website where he shares ideas, industry news and connects with his customers and counterparts in the trade.

John Mewett, marketing drector at Screwfix, said: “Britain’s Top Tradesman, is a nationwide search to find and recognise the best in the business. At Screwfix we have over 1 million tradesmen shopping with us and are proud to be running this competition to highlight excellence in the industry. Michael is a shining example of a tradesman who despite knock backs early in his career, has never given up.

“The judges really admired his determination to provide a service to customers whenever they need it and he has worked hard to gain an SVQ in Plumbing and Gas Safe accreditation. What also stood out was the amount of time he gives for free to charity and his passion in training up young apprentices after he found it so difficult to get a placement when he was starting out.”

For the first time, the competition rewarded three additional finalists with outstanding achievement awards, two of whom were also plumbers.

Veronica Noonan, who set up her own business just 18-months ago after securing a loan from the Prince’s Trust, impressed judges with her hard work and commitment. Jamie Braund, who is just 19 years of age, showed a real passion for plumbing and his business has proved so successful that he has already employed two part-time staff despite only setting up 18 months ago.