Britain's oldest man celebrates birthday in Punjabi style

Britain's oldest man, Punjab-born Nazar Singh, celebrated his 111th birthday in a characteristic style with a sip of whisky. Nazar Singh was born on June 8, 1904, and only two other men in the world are believed to be older than him – Sakari Momoi and Yasutaro Koide, who are both Japanese and aged 112.

Singh, who has nine children, 34 grandchildren and 64 great-grandchildren, believes the secret to his long life is a healthy diet and caring family. "We are very lucky to have a healthy father like him. He is setting an example for us to eat well and not smoke. He has enjoyed his birthday. He had a birthday cake and some whisky. He always enjoys a sip of whisky on his birthday," son Chain Singh, 62, told the 'Daily Express'.

"We have run out of ideas for presents as he has everything he needs. My father is really happy, he doesn't worry about anything," he said. Nazar Singh, who was a keen gardener until the age of 107, has never had an operation, retains some of his original teeth and has perfect hearing. He likes to drink milk and almond oil, regularly eats fruit, sleeps for 10 hours every night and enjoys some whisky at night time.

From the young age of 10, Nazar helped his family to grow sugarcane, cotton, corn, wheat and later chilli, peanuts, potatoes and rice at their farm in Punjab. In 1965 he and his wife moved to Wallsall in the West Midlands where he worked as a labourer before he retired and moved to Sunderland in 1989. His wife Narajan died 11 years ago from a heart attack, aged 90.