AN ISLE of Wight groundsman and his partner are trying to reunite a watch with its owner after a Magpie dropped a watch inches from where he stood at work.

Andrew Bennett was performing his duties as head of grounds at Bembridge Coast Hotel when he spotted the bird.

It appeared to become spooked as Andrew got closer, dropping the watch right in front of a mower.

Although he said him and his team often spend time naming the different types of birds they see fly across, they had never witnessed anything like this.

His partner Emma, who is helping to try and reunite the watch with its owner, said: "In regards to finding the owner, we've had no luck at present.

"I’ve had lots of shares and comments on social media but the only message we've had was one person who lost the same type of watch in 2018 but it was without the inscription.

"Personally I thought it was a myth about magpies and shiny things, but the watch has a very personal inscription which indicates it’s a very much loved and sentimental watch to someone out there."

UPDATE 10.30pm: Emma received a message from the watch owner's son-in-law and it will be reunited with the owner later this week.