A COUPLE say they were left 'stunned but delighted' after their 'long lost' wedding ring was discovered during a community clean up of the river behind their house.

Ian Blazey said he now hopes his wife Miriam's nagging will 'finally stop' after his gold wedding band was recovered from the River Wye which backs onto their home.

The couple, who have been married almost 14 years, feared the ring had been forever lost in the silt-infested water stretch after they capsized in a canoe three years ago.

But a neighbour plucked the shiny band from the murky water on Sunday during a neighbourhood river clean up organised by the delighted Bourne End parents of two.

Mr Blazey, who is a teacher at Burnham Grammar School, said: “It was great to see it. Miriam has been nagging me for three years about it 'don't you want to be married to me? Do you want a new wedding ring?' so hopefully that will finally stop.

“But I was stunned when it was pulled out of the river, but delighted it has been recovered and it is now back on my finger.”

The discovery sparked a neighbourhood celebration, with the couple throwing a barbecue at their home in Cores End Road to mark the successful scavenge.

Mrs Blazey, who works for the Bucks Free Press, said: “It was all quite surreal and funny because before we started the clean up, I jokingly said to everyone that if they find a gold ring in the river then it is ours.

“I didn't think there was any hope that it would be found, but then our neighbour Simon brought over the ring tangled up in a weed.

“I then flung my arms around him and gave him a kiss. Ian, I think getting his own back, said that's my ring, don't kiss him you're married to me.

“But we're delighted to have the ring back and the clean out was also very good, we wanted to make it a real social event for the neighbourhood and we had ten families involved, so it was a really nice occasion and we finally found our long lost ring.”

Graham Sharpe of bookmakers William Hill said the odds on the discovery were "a million to one".

He said: "If I were them I would go and have a bet at the weekend as I think their luck is in."