The 71-year-old vacuum cleaner that's still going strong

But the most antiquated of Archie Cameron's extraordinary collection of vintage domestic appliances, his beloved old vacuum cleaner, seems destined to carry on forever.

After a remarkable 71 years of unbroken service, the Goblin Triumph electric cleaner, model number 45, still happily sucks up the dust on his living room floor with the minimum of fuss.

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Retired civil servant Mr Cameron - at 78, a mere seven years older than his Goblin - is more convinced than ever that he is the proud owner of Britain's oldest working domestic appliance, blowing away all pretenders to the title.

He contacted the Scottish Daily Mail to remind them of his amazingly resilient machine after they featured two other impressive candidates - a 50-year-old Prestcold fridge and a 40-year-old Moulinex hairdryer.

He said yesterday: 'I saw these stories and wondered, are there really no worthy contenders out there to challenge my fine example of British manufacturing quality?

'My Goblin is still used regularly about the house and has never stopped working since the day my mother bought it.'

Mr Cameron's superb collection of ancient gadgets was first featured six years ago when the pensioner was a familiar sight in his blue 16-year-old Reliant Robin around the streets of his native Paisley.

Then, he said: 'The Goblin is a very simple design. It is a motor and a fan with a cardboard tube attached.

'There is little to go wrong with the cleaner, so there is very little reason why it should not go on working forever. It will probably outlive me.'

The modest rented flat where Mr Cameron has lived since the age of five remains a homage to post-war functionalism, and he still listens to his favourite Radio 4 on his Plustron mono transistor radio.

But two years ago he embraced some aspects of modern technology, swapping his three-wheeled Reliant for a four-wheeled Daewoo Matiz.

In order to drive his new car, Mr Cameron had to sit his driving test at the age of 77 - he could drive his three-wheeler on his motorcycle licence - making him one of the oldest drivers in Britain to pass the test.

And his black and white television was relegated to a bedroom to make room for a 21ins Philips colour set.

'It is a cathode ray tube TV, not one of those digital ones. I cannot see the point of all those channels,' said Mr Cameron.

'I only like factual programmes and quizzes, but not the gimmicky ones. My favourite programme is University Challenge.'

But, through this recent upheaval, the Goblin survived.

Built by the long-defunct Londonbased British Vacuum Cleaner and Engineering Company Ltd and bought by his mother in 1936 from a door-to- door salesman soon after they moved into the house, the cleaner has required only the minimum of running repairs.

He had to replace the original carrying strap after it perished, substituting it with one taken from a suitcase and he changed the starter knob twice over the years. He said: 'My philosophy has always been "If it ain't broke, don't replace it".'

The policeman's son served with the Royal Signals in Singapore between 1947-49 before joining the Forestry Commission.

He believes he inherited his frugal ways from his parents, brought up in rural Argyll during the Victorian era, where nothing went to waste.

'And my boss at the Forestry Commission was extremely parsimonious - you had to practically beg even for a ball pen,' he added.

• Do you have an older domestic appliance than Archie Cameron's Goblin Triumph still in use? Tell us in reader comments below.