Queen follows in her father's footsteps and opens new pumping station on Sandringham Estate

The Queen has officially opened a new pumping station on the Sandringham Estate.

Her Majesty's father George VI opened the original Wolferton pumping station in 1948, accompanied by his mother Queen Mary and his youngest daughter Princess Margaret.

The station allows the surrounding 7,000 acres of marshland, which sits below sea level, to be drained, dried out and farmed and produce organic crops.

The new pumping station is twice as powerful as the old station and can shift around three million gallons of water in one hour, equivalent to seven Olympic-sized swimming pools.

Over the past year and a half the station has been rebuilt to create a more efficient and environmentally friendly station and help protect the local wildlife.

The Queen was given a tour of the new station, before meeting a group of long-serving staff, all of whom have worked for the company for more than 20 years.

After unveiling a new plaque and signing the visitors' book, Her Majesty was presented with framed archive photographs of her father opening the original pumping station and recalled where he used to walk his corgis.

Earlier this week, the Queen visited RAF Marham, where she witnessed a vertical landing by an F-35 Lightning aircraft.

On her first public engagement of 2020, the Queen was greeted by the base’s commanding officer, spoke with service personnel, and toured the facilities.