A FORMER policeman from Burnley has reunited a couple with their lost rings - after finding them in his pocket almost 2,000 miles away.

Dave Alexander, a former sergeant, found a man’s wedding ring and an engagement ring in a pocket of newly-bought shorts while on holiday. The 59-year-old bought the shorts before leaving for Tenerife.

Mr Alexander did not know the rings had been misplaced in the pocket by a man who had returned the shorts to the shop.

Mr Alexander put out an appeal on social media and managed to reunite the rings with their owner, who he only knew as Claire. He said: “I had worn the shorts on a Saturday night on holiday, put them in the wardrobe and wore them again on Wednesday, and that’s when I felt something digging into my right hip.

“When I pulled what was in my pocket out I was absolutely gobsmacked, I turned to my wife and said, ‘You’re not going to believe this’.

“I was wondering how on earth they could have got there.

“I had all sorts of ridiculous ideas running through my head.

“We got home last Saturday and I put an appeal out and managed to track down Claire, the owner, from Nelson.”

Mr Alexander found out the previous owner of the shorts had set out to take the rings to be cleaned, but forgot to take the rings out of the shorts when he exchanged them for a different pair.

Mr Alexander said: “Claire had ordered a new engagement ring as she had given up hope of finding it.

“She went back to the shop to find them but she had no luck.

“I’m glad I could get the rings back to her as now she can wear her engagement ring again.

“Ironically I lost my watch while travelling to Tenerife. I’m still waiting to get that back.”