Park Garage Group director, Balraj Tandon, has been made an MBE in the New Year’s Honours in recognition of his services to business and the south London community.

The 59-year-old emigrated to the UK as a refugee from Uganda in 1975 with his family, and has built up the family businesses to the extent it is now ranked seventh in the Forecourt Trader Top 50 Indies, with 49 sites.

Balraj said his parents would have been "absolutely overjoyed" at the news, particularly given the award "came from the Queen", adding: "We are royalists and we love her so much."

He began working at his local petrol station with his father and from this single site built Park Garage Group, which has an annual turnover of 200m.

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