A SHEEP thought to be the world's oldest has died after falling over a 45m cliff in Britain's Western Islands.

The blackface ewe - nicknamed Twiggy because of her scrawny appearance - was just a month short of her 26th birthday.

Crofter John Maciver put her longevity down to her still having most of her teeth, allowing her to graze easily, and her "independent spirit".

Most sheep do not live longer than 12 years. The ewe was found dead on rocks at a beach on Lewis in the Western Isles.