The medals are not officially recognised by the MOD

British Army veterans from the North West of England have been honoured by the Malaysian Government for their service in the 1950s and 1960s.

A total of 180 veterans received the prestigious Pingat Jasa Malaysia Medal, for the Malaya and Borneo conflicts.

It has taken decades of lobbying for the former soldiers to receive any official recognition.

Those who were given a medal in the ceremony at the Territorial Army (TA) base in Rusholme, were "thrilled".

The medals are not officially recognised by the Ministry of Defence (MOD).

British soldiers battled communist guerillas during the Malayan Emergency between 1948 and 1960, and against Indonesian incursions into the Malaysian part of Borneo between 1963 and 1966.