England's Wheelchair Rugby World cup winner Lewis King has received a civic award following his triumphant performances.

The Dartford athlete has been presented with a Dartfordian award by the council for his services to the community and sport.

It comes three weeks after the winger helped the hosts overcome their rivals France to lift the Wheelchair Rugby League World Cup in Manchester.

Lewis, 37, received his award from deputy leader cllr Chris Shippam at a ceremony attended by his family and friends at the home of Dartford Valley Rugby Club on Friday.

England beat France 28-24 in front of record crowd of 5,000 to become world champions last month.

The host nation had trailed 14-12 at the interval before the Temple Hill resident scored early in the second half to put them 16-14 in front.

France were unable to recover their lead and the home side went on to become world champions for the first time since 2008.

"He has put huge effort into becoming a world class wheelchair athlete and his proud family have supported him all the way."

Lewis has been using a wheelchair since 2009, when a blood clot in his spinal cord left him unable to walk unaided.

Sport was part of his rehabilitation and he began playing the sport in 2016.

Cllr Shippam said: “Lewis and his family are such modest and down-to-earth people but it is clear that he has put huge effort into becoming a world class wheelchair athlete and his proud family have supported him all the way.

“Our local Argonauts club played an important part in his early journey to World Cup glory and it was a particular pleasure to present him with the award at the home of another great local club.

"Lewis was generous with his time to all the young players here who wanted to meet him. He is a true hero and a fantastic role model.

"He has helped raise the visibility of the sport and introduce it to a generation of new players. The whole community are proud of him.”