AN influential Bere Alston geologist, whose innovative solutions to civil engineering problems support much of the peninsula's infrastructure, has been honoured by the University of Plymouth.

Fred Sherrell, 68, was awarded an honorary Doctor of Science degree at a ceremony last week.

'Coming at this late stage, now I'm retired, it was a very pleasant surprise,' he said. 'I am indeed honoured that they conferred this degree on me.'

Mr Sherrell was born in Bere Alston and educated at Tavistock Grammar School. He studied geology at Bristol University before a bout of National Service in the Royal Engineers doing a ground survey of Baghdad in Iraq — a move that set the seal on his future career.

There followed a number of jobs overseas, including a spell in the Antarctic and another job on Malta drilling for water.

It was this last job that gave him the idea of setting up his own well-boring business in West Devon, but continuing his studies, Mr Sherrell became an expert in the hybrid field of geological engineering. By the 1960s he had given up well-drilling to run his engineering geological consultancy.

In 1970 he completed a PhD, also at Bristol.

Based in Tavistock, Mr Sherrell and his staff have provided the geological information behind many of the well-known structures and roads in the south west, including the A30 Bodmin to Exeter up-grade, the A38 Exeter to Plymouth up-grade, the Plymouth Dome, the Barbican Lock Gate and remedial work on some of Cornwall's historic mine structures.

'Throughout 40 years of active work, Fred has been involved with hundreds of other familiar landmarks and roads in the area. His seminal work on the stabilisation of the Nag's Head landslip on the M5 at Cullompton is still regarded as a classic piece of engineering,' said a spokeswoman at the university.

'The counties of Devon and Cornwall owe much to Fred for their current infrastructure and the university is proud to recognise his achievements by awarding him an honorary degree.'

Mr Sherrell was proud that piece of work continues to be used in case studies throughout the world, but considers his best work was on the Plymouth lock system.

'It was by no means my biggest job, but it was the most worrying,' he said.

And it took two years from the design stage to commissioning of the lock before those fears could be laid to rest as it became apparent that the design had worked and the lock held water.

Mr Sherrell retired in the late 1990s, but continues to have an active interest in the field.