When he was born he was so small he could fit into a pint jug, and was fed milk from a fountain pen.

As a child his weak heart meant he was not allowed to play games or even ride a bicycle, but 69 years later miracle baby Percy Fear is riding the roads as a lorry driver.

The remarkable story of the premature baby, born on a farm in the tiny village of Stathe, near Langport, Somerset long before hi-tech special care baby units, will give heart to the anxious parents of today's premature arrivals.

Mr Fear contacted the Western Daily Press after it published the story of Gary Ilot, who was the tiniest and earliest baby to survive at Southmead Hospital, Bristol, when he was born on October 22 1978. Mr Ilot's parents were told to expect the worst when he was born 14 weeks early, weighing 1lb 10oz but he celebrates his 30th birthday today.

Mr Fear, of Tintinhull, near Yeovil, said yesterday: "I was a seven-month baby and weighed just over 1lb.

"The birth nearly killed my mother, and I had my own nurse who visited me daily. I am told that she used to feed me with a fountain pen, one drop at a time and then wrap me in cotton wool and put me in a pint jug to keep me warm. She came every day until I started school. I can remember her, and her name was Hazel.

"I was not allowed to ride a bike or play games because I had a weak heart, so-called. A taxi was sent to take me to and from school right up to the age of 15 when I left school. In those days it was much harder to survive, I shall be 70 years of age in a few months so I think I may have some claim to fame."

His mother, Ella, was one of 11 children, but Mr Fear was her only child. She and her husband, Harry, were warned another pregnancy could kill her. She lived to be nearly 93.

Despite warnings about his health Mr Fear could not resist buying a bicycle as a teenager. "I paid for it through a paper round, delivering the Evening Post, starting at Athelney Station and going up to Wick," he said.

" When I left school I had a job driving a horse and trap delivering milk; we measured it out for customers in those days. Then at 17 I got a job driving a lorry delivering coal, which was hard work, and shows I must have been fit. When I was called up for National Service I was passed as A1."

Mr Fear has spent his working life driving lorries, mainly for local feed mill transport firms. Even in retirement, and despite a heart attack 18 months ago, he is still driving a couple of days of week, transporting milk for Wincanton Logistics.