OAPs are still in hot demand in the county as a survey revealed that Bucks is the fifth best county in England for employing pensioners.

The survey released as part of a crusade to fight ageism shows that: Of the 107,000 people aged 50 to 69 living in Bucks, 72,000 of them are in employment Nearby Slough came out on top with 73.9 per cent of its pensioners in employment, compared to 67.3 per cent in Bucks.

Shirley Barlow, 67, has worked at the Wycombe branch of Help the Aged for the last six years.

She said: "If you're fit and able I think you should be able to work as long as you like.

"I like meeting people and making myself useful. I couldn't sit indoors all day and do nothing.

"I think a lot of companies would employ more if they don't tax you so much."

Age Positive Week, which was run earlier this month, called upon businesses across the country to join together before a new law comes into force in October that will make age discrimination in the workplace illegal.

Elaine Hart, Help the Aged regional spokesman for the Bucks area, said: "One of the things we're fighting for is to stop age discrimination and Age Positive Week is another way of helping us.

"It's great that the Government is now going to do something about it."

National unemployment currently stands at 1,586,000.