The Duke of Kent visited the headquarters of Apollo Fire Detectors in Havant last month, as the firm celebrated 40 years of manufacturing.

He was given a tour of the company’s facilities, before unveiling a commemorative plaque. Apollo’s managing director, Charles Lombard, said: “We have grown beyond all recognition in the past 40 years.

“Today, we have world-class manufacturing plus R&D facilities, as well as offices in Germany, China, the USA, India and Dubai. Over the years, our achievements have resulted in many awards, including the Queen’s Award for Exports and our highly prized royal warrant.”

Since Apollo began manufacturing in 1977, it has created a range of industry-leading fire products — and exported them to more than 100 countries.

It is estimated that the firm produces a detector every five seconds at its Havant headquarters.