A GREAT grandmother has again been congratulated by the Queen after marking her 107th birthday.

Beatrice Richards - thought to be the oldest person in Wyre Forest - celebrated the milestone on Tuesday with a card from Her Majesty but without the traditional glass of champagne.

The centenarian, born in 1898, has never touched a drop of alcohol during the three centuries in which she has lived and puts her longevity down to walking and steering clear of smoking cigarettes.

People can receive a birthday card from the Queen every year once they reach 105.

Mrs Richards's daughter, Daphne Knight, said: "She says this every time. She used to walk a lot, she walked everywhere. She has never smoked or had an alcoholic drink."

The pensioner, born in Cradley in Herefordshire, moved to Kidderminster three years ago.

She is profoundly deaf but her daughter said she talked vividly about attending school at the age of three and how she showed an early interest in sewing, which led to a career as a seamstress.

She has four grandchildren and two great grandchildren, aged 20 and 18.

People continue to be impressed by the 107-year-old's age, her daughter said.

"She is quite a celebrity. I do take her out and people always want to have a word with her," she added.