KEN Carter thought his diamond ring was lost forever, until an off-duty policeman and his unusual hobby came to the rescue.

Mr Carter, 57, of Fell View, The Grove, Consett, had spent the day in his garden, planting and replanting dozens of bushes. It was only as he packed up for the day that he realised his £2,000 solitaire diamond ring was missing.

He contacted Consett Police, the desk sergeant knew just who to call - Acting Sergeant Derek Sirett and his trusty metal detector.

The Stanley bobby spends his spare hours poring over fields with his detector, all in the interests of local history.

He put his expertise to good use and had reunited the missing ring with its grateful owner in a matter of minutes.

"I found it no problem," he said. "I wouldn't like to lose my ring and I was glad I could do something to help.

"They all think I am an anorak at the station, but this has proved its use more than once."

Mr Carter, a former sergeant with the Fifth Royal Tank Regiment, who served in Borneo with the Gurkhas, said: "I had been gardening since 6am that day. Just as I finished up, I noticed that my father's ring had slipped off my finger. I have worn it for 42 years and I was beside myself.

"It is a big garden and I didn't know where to start, so I called the police. They said they knew someone who did metal detecting as a hobby. Derek came out and he found the ring almost straight away, under a rose bush."

Mr Carter and his wife Yvonne, wrote to Sgt Sirret's bosses at police headquarters in Durham, praising his efforts.

Mrs Carter said: "My husband has had that ring on his finger longer than his wedding ring.

"He had been all over the garden and we thought it was a lost cause."