Lonely life for a lady of luxury

An 83-year-old woman is living a life of splendid isolation in a luxury block of seaside apartments - because all her neighbours are hardly ever there.

Mavis Ward is the only permanent resident at the ultra-modern flats in Newquay, Cornwall.

All the 29 other properties are used as holiday homes, so for most of the year she enjoys exclusive use of a gym, swimming pool and underground car park.

"I am the lady of the manor and I have the whole place to myself," she said.

Mrs Ward said weeks can go by without seeing another resident and even when people do visit it is only for a couple of days.

"I have my gym with swimming pool, treadmill, rowing machine, exercise bike and sauna.

"There is also a rooftop garden - but I never use it because it is windy up there.

"It is peaceful and quiet here and the view is fabulous."

She also has exclusive use of a team of maintenance workers for the building, which overlooks the town and the Cornish coast.