People in Britain now living into "extreme" old age

The average age at which people die is now six years older than official life expectancy in the UK, according to latest figures released by the Office for National Statistics.

Currently, life expectancy in the UK is 79 years for males and 83 years for females, but the figures show that the majority of men die around age 85, while most women survive until 89.

The report also reveals expectations that the average age at death will continue to increase, suggesting that the "upper limit to life span" has yet to be discovered.

Dr Jonathan Cave, an economist and population expert at Warwick University, told the Daily Telegraph that he believes that the country is not suitably prepared for people to live to such ages.

He said that provisions built into National Insurance and pension plans do not account for people to live to for "extremely long" lifetimes and that the increasing number of patients with conditions such as Alzheimer's will put a strain on resources.

Dr Cave said: "There is a potential tug-of-war, particularly for the health system and indeed any form of public expenditure - if you put residential care up against education for example."

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