A NEW £1 million water filtration plant has been named after a long-serving Thames Water employee who died weeks after being diagnosed with oesophageal cancer.

Paul Gee, 54, worked at Latton water works for two decades but had to to retire recently after discovering he had the condition.

In his honour, the company named the new iron filter, which will improve the quality of water supplied to tens of thousands of homes in Wiltshire.

He was a dedicated fundraiser for Cancer Research UK, having beaten the illness once. After he was told about the decision to give the new facility his name, he said: “I’ve worked at Latton and for Thames for almost 20 years, so when I found out they were naming it after me I was truly honoured.

“This filter will massively improve the day-to-day running of the plant, and it’s nice that I will be able to leave some sort of legacy after I do pass away.

“I’ve loved every minute of working for the company. All my workmates and colleagues have been fantastic through my illness.”

Paul, who has a wife and daughter, was able to attend the official opening ceremony of the site alongside the company’s head of water production Gareth Parry and colleagues.

After his death his wife Jan said: “Paul was a lovely man, a great husband and a great father. He was loved by everybody who knew him, and will be hugely missed.”

Stephen Doell, who was Paul’s line manager, said: “Paul will be sorely missed by everybody who knew him.

“He was always laughing, joking and trying to put a smile on everybody’s face. When he was diagnosed with the terminal cancer, he never let it get him down and kept a really positive outlook. He was a great employee but more than that, he was a great friend."

Paul's friend, security team member David Edge, added: “Paul was one of the most positive, upbeat and influential people I ever met. He was the model employee, we are already missing seeing him swaggering across the site decked out in his full hi-viz.

“Although we started out as colleagues that turned into friendship, and we became great mates. Like me, he was a huge Arsenal fan and had a season ticket at the Emirates, and would give me the ticket whenever he couldn’t go. He was that type of person, always looking out for others."

The Paul Gee Filtration plant will significantly reduce the levels of iron which occurs naturally in water before it’s supplied to around 150,000 homes in the Swindon and Cotswolds area.

The innovative filter – which works in a similar way to a household water filter – is fitted between the site’s boreholes and the treatment process, saving millions of pounds.