Widow saved from deportation following public outcry

A 92-year-old woman from Poole has been told she is now free to stay in the UK.

Myrtle Cothill was living with her daughter Mary in Dorset when she was informed she must go back to South Africa.

Ms Cothill is a native South African but following the death of her husband had travelled to the UK.

Last December Mrs Cothill told ITV News Meridian she was praying she could remain in the UK until the "end of her days."

She's currently being cared for by her daughter as her health deteriorates - Myrtle has heart problems, cannot walk and struggles with her eyesight.

The widow had been booked onto a Virgin flight to Johannesburg two weeks ago after her bid to stay in the UK was rejected on appeal.

But, a day before Mothering Sunday, she's been granted a reprieve - the Home Office have ruled she can now remain living in the UK.