KEN Perry may have 82 years on the clock but he is still driving coaches in the family business he started 60 years ago.

Now he has gone into the record books as the oldest public service vehicle licence-holder in the world.

Mr Perry, (pictured) of New Road, Woodfieldside, Blackwood, still drives 53-seater coaches every day - including taking children to school.

And while his daughter, Cheryl Fox, has been working hard since last September to get his achievement recognised, Mr Perry only found out he was a record-breaker this week. Mrs Fox said: "Last year I read of a man of 80 who held the Guinness world record for being the oldest heavy goods vehicle licence holder. I thought, 'My father's already 81, so let's give it a try'."

More than 60 letters and 100 telephone calls later, Mrs Fox was informed by Guinness World Records that her father was indeed the oldest PSV licence-holder on record. "It was all a big surprise to me," said Mr Perry, who started his business, Perry's Coaches, in 1941. "They have been working in the shadows, and I found out this week. I am excited."

Mr Perry said he had never considered retiring from the business, which he now runs with the help of two of his sons, Bernard and Stephen, and grandson Richard.

"I wonder what retirement is all about," said Mr Perry. "I do not mind doing it - it is not a hard job. It is like having breakfast - you get up and you expect it.

"When I used to go on holiday for a fortnight, it would take me a week to settle down." Mrs Fox said: "I am thrilled. I am so proud for him - we are talking about the whole world, not just the county or country. He deserves it."

Mr Perry's wife, Molly, agreed that he deserved his new title. She said: "He has certainly worked hard, and always looked after us all. It will be fantastic to see his name in the Guinness Book of Records."

Mr and Mrs Perry also have another claim to fame - they were among the first people in the world to hear the Manic Street Preachers.

The band used to rehearse at a hall near their home when they first got together, and the music they made rattled Mrs Perry's crockery!