A SURPRISE party has been held to celebrate the 70th year that a man has lived in his house.

George Sharp moved into the terraced house in York Road, Haxby, York, with his family on November 23, 1937.

He has lived there ever since - except for when he was in Egypt on National Service.

When they originally moved in, his parents rented the home, but they bought it in 1970 for £1,400. Mr Sharp said similar houses in the street were now worth about £230,000.

On Saturday, his neighbours held a party to celebrate his platinum anniversary in the house.

Anne Cooper, one of the neighbours who helped arrange the celebration, explained why they did it.

She said: "He is such a good neighbour, he is wonderful. He sometimes collects the children for a young neighbour who sometimes has problems collecting them herself, he puts out the washing for her and he looks after the gardens of several neighbours.

"He is generally wonderful and he is the Pied Piper for cats - they all go to George's to be fed."

Mr Sharp, 78, who worked on the railways before retiring in 1994, said the party was a real surprise but a good one.

He said: "Things have been quite enjoyable living here. We've had good neighbours and, at the present time, I have some very good neighbours."