A housebuilder has been awarded for designing an eco-friendly home in Essex.

David Wilson Homes has been given five stars from the Home Builder Federation for making its Southminster show home garden wildlife-friendly.

It includes bird and bee boxes, a hedgehog highway, scented garden, native hedgerow, and a dead wood feature.

The firm also got a bronze certificate from the RSPB.

Company spokesman Annette Hurst said: “We want to ensure that we’re doing as much as we can to retain and build upon the natural habitat around our developments.

“We’re really excited to have been awarded the certificate and for our customers to see the new wildlife-friendly show home gardens to show the potential we have as homeowners to do our bit for the environment.

“Hopefully the new gardens will be teeming with life this summer.”