Yesterday an old lady was reported to have died after receiving government handouts of over £600,000 annually.

However, it seems the years of social security income were not means-tested, as she had four homes and a personal fortune of almost £70m.

Reports present a confusing picture of the woman's spending habits. Despite her wealth she had a £4m overdraft, perhaps in part fuelled by her desire to have a bottle of vintage champagne put on ice each morning "in case someone calls". Yet she seemed to spend little on others. Some of her 40+ staff were paid as little as £9,000 per annum, which was raised last year to £14,500, and it is unlikely that most of them will receive any kind of redundancy package.

Authorities note that very little of the woman's fortune will be able to be recouped by the Inland Revenue. They say they will be carefully monitoring the spending habits and worth of her family.