A new friendship has been struck up after the metal detecting skills of Silsden couple Steve Goodchild and Joan Wade reunited a distraught Keighley man with his lost wedding ring.

Andrew Firth, 35, who owns Firth's Animal Feed on Marley Street, Keighley, lost his wedding ring while walking his dogs in Silsden last month.

Andrew says: "I was walking my dogs down the lane. I pulled my hanky out of my pocket and that was the last time I remembered having my ring."

Having made a fruitless search of the area, Andrew returned home to break the news to his wife of two years Sheila Barrett.

"I went mad," says Shelia. "We went straight back down and we were up at 6am the next morning to search again."

Despite the heartbroken couple's efforts the ring was nowhere to be found. It was then that Andrew first met Steve and Joan.

"I was looking for it with my father when I was lucky enough to fall on Steve and Joan. At first I thought they were playing golf, but they were metal detecting," says Andrew.

Steve, 39, of Howden Road, says: "We went down to Sykes Lane where Andrew thought he had lost it and searched about, but couldn't find anything.

"He was really, really so disappointed so we went back again and then we found it," says Steve.

The gold ring, one of a pair specially made for Andrew and Sheila's wedding, had been run over and was buried in the soil.

He says: "It looks as though a tractor had run over it because it was bent in half, so we had to take it to a jeweller who could fix it."

Steve found the ring using a £400 metal detector and has been metal detecting for about 15 years.

He says the ring is one of many he has found but was delighted to be able to reunite it with its owner.

Andrew adds jokingly: "We're well chuffed.

"The marriage was almost over when I lost it."