Sir Paul McCartney has been named as the songwriter of the year at a London awards ceremony.

The Beatles legend was give the prestigious honour at the The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) Awards.

Elsewhere, Coldplay scooped track of the year for 'Viva La Vida', The Ting Tings were given the 'College Award' for their album 'We Started Nothing' and Calvin Harris won the Vanguard Award for his debut long-player 'I Created Disco'.

The ASCAP Awards honour members of the Performing Rights Society (PRS) who have achieved some success in the US.

Other winners on the night included Duffy songwriter Steve Booker, Dido and The Eurythmics.

(by Scott Colothan)