A Hornchurch woman said she had to read her letter telling her she been awarded an OBE three times before she took it in.

Fay Deadman, from Hornchurch, was given the honour for services to safeguarding young people.

She had worked for the HM Inspector of Prisons for 12 years, becoming its inspection team leader, before retiring from the position in April – although she still does some work for the service.

Before joining the prison service she was a social worker in Barking and Dagenham.

She said: “It’s a great organisation to be part of and I’ve always been interested in the work.

“When the letter came I was in my office upstairs. My husband looked at it and said “You’ve got a letter from the Cabinet Office.” I thought it was my payslip so I didn’t open it for a while.

“When I did, I had to read it three times before I took in what it was actually saying.”