A TWEET about a super polite gran who is completely out of touch with modern technology has become an online phenomenon.

The tweet about 85-year-old May Ashworth from Leigh adding 'please' and 'thank you' to a Google search has gone viral and been featured on American TV and various radio shows.

Her grandson Ben Eckersley, of Brentwood Grove, Leigh, posted a screenshot of her bizarrely worded search after visiting her home on Thursday.

Not realising that Google's search engine is an automated system with no need for pleasantries, it read: "Please translate these Roman numerals MCMXCVIII. Thank you."

A highly amused Ben, 25, wrote on Twitter: 

The post has been retweeted and favourited more than 16,000 and 24,000 times respectively and has featured on American TV programme The Today Show.

Teaching assistant Ben said: “It is absolutely crazy that all this has happened. I have even had people from Russia, France and Germany tweeting back.

“I went to my nan's to do my washing the other day because my boyfriend and I don’t have a washing machine at our house and I needed to look something up, and when I opened her laptop it was just there.

“I just thought it was so cute and a typical thing for her to do. She is so polite, and obviously not very good with computers, but she does try, especially for her age.

“My nan thinks it [the response the story has had] is amazing, even though she doesn't quite understand it all.

“It has really cheered her up after being upset about the terrorist attack in Orlando.”

People from all over the world have made comments about May's ultra politeness on Twitter, supporting and praising her.

To see the original tweet and replies go to @push10ben on Twitter.