11:43am UK, Friday July 29, 2005

A 100-year-old driver with 82 years of clean motoring is angry after his motoring licence was withdrawn.

Tom Soulby was told he was losing his licence on health grounds despite passing his three-yearly health test declaring him fit to drive at the age of 99.

180 mini metro car b/w 14/10/80

Driver and Metro torn apart

After passing his health check and telling him he could no longer drive, Mr Soulby's GP gave him a birthday card from staff at the surgery marking his centenary.

Mr Soulby, from Winbourne, Dorset, said: "He told me the news on my birthday, just as I was about to go to the pub to celebrate.

"He is a super doctor and has looked after me wonderfully and he is doing it for my benefit, but I'm quite annoyed because I think I'm a fine driver."

He said he only drives about 1,000 miles a year in his 1981 Austin Metro, which has just 24,000 miles on the clock.

Mr Soulby had a mild heart attack last year but feels he has fully recovered from that and is still a safe motorist.

He began driving 12 years before the start of the test and has not had a single accident in that time.

A spokeswoman for the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency said there was no upper age limit to driving but that motorists must renew their licence every three years after the age of 70.

This includes meeting the statutory eyesight standard.