A ROUTINE car wash surpassed a Ruspidge woman's expectations when the cleaner found a wedding ring belonging to her car's previous owners.

Marian Wendland had just had her car serviced when she decided to get it spruced up by workers adjacent on the Lower High Street in Cinderford.

Little did she know that, upon collection, a wedding band had been found – and it wasn't hers.

She said: "As soon as I got home I rummaged through paperwork to find the receipt of my car and came across the previous owner's details. The couple I bought my car from last year are in their eighties and live in Clehonger in Herefordshire.

"As soon as the woman answered the phone and I explained, words can't express how happy she was. Her husband had been searching for his wedding band for the last year and it was a complete mystery to them as to where it had gone.

"What's odd is that I took my car to the same garage last year and they didn't come across it then. I can't wait to send it off to them. The workers need some recognition for what they do – this really does go to show that they do a thorough job!"