After 10 months of waiting, a mother facing deportation despite calling Britain home for 53 years, has been told she can stay.

Eve Woods has been under threat of having to leave her Rochester home and move back to South Africa since last May.

She came to the UK from Cape Town in 1962 with her mother and two siblings, travelling on her mother’s passport.

After three years in London, the family moved to Medway where Eve grew up, got married and had three children.

The 58-year-old, of Leander Road, went back to work last year after her youngest son Shane turned 18.

But after three months being employed as a carer, her manager asked for proof she was allowed to work in the UK.

She applied to the Home Office for a permit, but she was refused. Eve then had a letter saying she was likely to be deported.

She had to go to great lengths to prove how long she had been in the UK – scouring her home for school reports and childhood medical records, before she could reapply.

She has now been granted permission to stay.

The permit, which also entitles her to work, is valid until the end of 2024.

Eve has also been told she can apply for a British passport.

“It’s a big relief,” she said.

“When the letter came I couldn’t believe it.

“I’d like to say thank-you to Rochester MP Kelly Tolhurst and her team, and the solicitor who helped me put my application together.”

Miss Tolhurst said: “It has been a long and trying process for Eve and her family.

“It is great news that they can now get back on with their lives.”

Eve said the next step is to find a new job.

She said: “If the letter had come through last month I would have been able to go back to my job as a carer but they had to take me off their books.”