And on, and on, and on

More of Britain’s most durable appliances

♦ Oldest working fridge

A couple in their 70s from Stonehouse, Glos, are believed to own Britain’s oldest working fridge.

They bought the appliance – built by Electrolux in the 1930s – for £49 in 1949.

♦ Oldest working gas cooker

Val Marks, 62, from Rotherham, South Yorks, owns one of the country’s oldest working gas cookers – a New World 42. Her mother bought it for £38 in 1959 and it has been used to prepare an estimated 20,000 meals.

♦ Oldest working washing machine

Frank Fairclough, 72, from Mossley Hill, Liverpool, bought his Zanussi FL811 washing machine in 1987 for £180.

♦ Oldest working microwave

In 2009, Fred Stephens, then 78, from Cheltenham, Glos, was thought to be the owner of the oldest working microwave in Britain. He bought the Panasonic NE-691 for £250 in the 1960s and has used it every day since.