When super-fit pensioner Celia Powis, 70, was sacked from her job as an aerobics instructor it led to accusations of ageism.

But despite an apparent lack of enthusiasm from employers, there are plenty of pensioners who want to carry on in their jobs.

Reporter MILES GODFREY argues that if you're good enough, you should be allowed to carry on working - no matter how old you are.

You would never guess that someone who has reached 70 would still be leading keep-fit classes.

But that's just what Celia Powis does - and she has every intention of carrying on.

So when her employers at Worthing Borough Council took her aside the day before her 70th birthday and told her she was being sacked, she was quite rightly furious.

Celia is fitter than some people half her age - and perfectly capable of carrying on her classes at Worthing Leisure Centre.

She told The Argus: "I feel probably 30 or 40 years old. It makes me laugh when people tell me I'm 70 because I really don't feel it at all."

Worthing Borough Council saw sense and, following an appeals process, reinstated her.

But there are plenty of other pensioners who find themselves in a similar position.

There are at least three other pensioners working as sports coaches in Worthing alone: an 81-year-old at Worthing Leisure Centre and two in their mid-70s at the Aquarena swimming pool.

Age Concern believes part of the reason for more older people working is that many elderly people struggle to cope on a state pension.

With the rising costs of utility bills, council tax and running a car, it has become even more important for pensioners to have a second source of income.

Another reason is that people are failing to save properly for their retirement and so are forced into carrying on working.

A spokesman for the charity said: "The plain fact is many pensioners simply can't live on the state income so are forced to turn elsewhere."

Bill Lloyd-Briden, 85, is among the many pensioners who want to carry on working.

He was let go from his job as a cleaner at Worthing College in 2002 but campaigned to overturn the move.

Unfortunately for him, an employment tribunal ruled that the college was perfectly within its rights to get rid of him because its insurer said it could no longer cover him.

Mr Lloyd-Briden said: "I was totally disgusted at the treatment I received.

"If you are good enough at the job you do, which I was, then you should be allowed to carry on and do the job.

"There seems to be a prevailing attitude now, that's probably been around for a while to be honest, that as soon as you hit retirement age that's it - you have to get out your pipe and slippers.

That scenario was never for me and isn't for a lot of people who want to keep active and keep working."

Figures from Saga suggest there will be a 63 per cent increase in the number of people working beyond 65 by 2020.

Part of the reason for that is the ageing population.

Janet Thompson, a Saga director, said: "Given the current economic climate and stock market conditions, it is inevitable that some people are going to be forced to work past the statutory retirement age because they can't afford not to.

"However, it's not all negative. The increase in workers aged 65 and over is, in part, due to the fact that a considerable number of people want to carry on working as late as they can."

It is having this choice of whether to work or not that seems to be the most controversial aspect of the whole situation.

The current law allows people to work beyond 65 entirely at the discretion of their employers.

Celia Powis, for example, contacted the council every year to check her contract was being renewed.

But there is no legal obligation for employers to offer any guarantees of long-term work prospects.

Indeed most employers of pensioners are acting entirely within their rights by giving less than a month's notice when they plan to terminate employment.

Mrs Powis said: "It was this situation - the fact they could get rid of me at any time - which infuriated me so much.

"I'm perfectly able to do my job - ask any of the women I teach - so I should be allowed to carry on.

"The same applies for anybody who is a bit older and wants to carry on - they should be allowed to.

"If you are good enough then it doesn't matter what age you are."

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