A centenarian who crashed into a pensioner crossing the road with a shopping trolley escaped a driving ban.

Gwynneth Stallard, 100, of Chuck Hatch, near Crowborough, pleaded guilty to careless driving and told magistrates she had not seen the pedestrian as she stepped out into Hartfield Road in Forest Row, near East Grinstead.

Retired civil servant Gillian Williams suffered minor injuries, including a cut to the head and grazed legs.

Magistrates in Crawley yesterday were told by Richard Lynn, prosecuting, how the centenarian was driving her Ford Fiesta on the evening of January 14 when the crash happened. Witnesses said Stallard had not been driving at excessive speed.

Appealing to magistrates not to impose a disqualification, Olivia Maginn, defending, said: "Mrs Stallard is a very independent lady. She has lived alone since being widowed 30 years ago.

"There is no public transport where she lives and has to drive a car for her daily provisions."

Miss Maginn produced medical reports saying the defendant remained fit to drive and had good eyesight. She joked: "Her eyes are better than mine."

Stallard was fined £200 and ordered to pay £55 costs. Her licence was endorsed with six penalty points.