A grandmother and her 24-year-old husband plan to pay a surrogate mother to have a child for them.

Chris and Norma Harvey, of Whitehawk, Brighton, have already had to fight critics because of their age gap.

Now their plans to find a surrogate mother have meant they have had abuse hurled at them and been spat at in the supermarket.

They say they want a baby so much they are willing to have one of any race and will go abroad if necessary.

But they have denied the baby would be an accessory to show the world how much they care about one another.

Mrs Harvey, 56, who has had a hysterectomy, said: "People have got the wrong end of the stick. A baby is our dream.

"It is what we want most in the world but we don't want one to prove a point.

"We have already proved how much we love each other by being together for six years.

"Some people have said I am a racist because they think I just want a white baby. But I don't care if it is black, white or Chinese. We will love it whatever colour it is."

The couple are looking for a surrogate mother to be artificially inseminated.

They are willing to pay her expenses of up to £9,000.

But they have denied they are anything like Judith and Alan Kilshaw, who adopted a baby from the internet.

Mr Harvey said: "That comparison is what hurts most because we are nothing like them. Norma is a caring, soft person who helps others."

He denied the age gap or Mrs Harvey's age mattered and said anyone should be allowed to have a baby if they could offer a loving, stable environment.

He said: "I love Norma so much. I know I want to spend the rest of my life with her. We can offer a baby all the love it needs."

The couple have not applied to adopt a child because they know they will be refused.

They are considering asking Norma's daughter, Victoria, to donate her eggs.

Mrs Harvey does not see Victoria, 23, or her two grandchildren much because they live in Manchester.

She said: "I may be 56 but I am still young at heart. I know I will be the best mum in the world. Who cares how old I am?

"What matters at the end of the day is that we will love our baby 110 per cent."

Mr Harvey added: "At least our baby will be wanted and planned.

"Look at the number of 18-year-olds who go out clubbing, have sex and get pregnant. We have decided to have a baby in a responsible way. We are not unsuitable parents."

The couple met at a Butlins holiday centre in North Wales six years ago. They married at Brighton Pavilion in July 1999.