A DETERMINED Isle of Wight metal collector has successfully found and returned a wedding ring a tourist lost on the beach.

Andy Waller had been holidaying on the Isle of Wight with his family in August when he lost his wedding ring in the sea.

"We went swimming at Compton Bay," said Andy.

"My ring fell off my finger, and a couple of days later, after accepting it would be gone for good, I was thinking, is there anywhere lost and found items could be reunited?

"I went on Facebook and noticed someone had found a ring with an inscription inside.

"Sadly, it wasn't mine, but Justin Cavnor, who posted the item, said he was keen to help me out, which I thought was amazing.

"We messaged each other and discussed the location on the beach, the time of day and how far out I'd been at the time.

"Justin went back that very afternoon but couldn't find anything.

"He told me he would pop back every so often, just in case it showed up.

"Then, around a month later, I receive a call from him to say he had found it.

"He went back when it was a really low tide, and even then, it was still under six inches of water.

"I felt like a radio competition winner when he told me the good news.

"My wife Lesley and I really wanted to go back to the Isle of Wight to collect it from him personally, but due to Covid this hasn't been able to happen, so he has kindly posted it.

"I thought it was really nice for someone to put themselves out for someone they have never met and expected nothing in return.

"Justin said he does it for the pleasure of returning a lost item to its rightful owner, which I think is really cool."