Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Jan and Paul Higson were amazed to find the wedding ring on the Sands of Wright

A woman says she was "stunned" at the "million-to-one chance" discovery of her husband's lost wedding ring on a beach in Orkney.

Paul Higson had been scared to tell his wife Jan he had lost the ring and it took him two months to confess.

He works all over the Orkney mainland and the ring could have been anywhere.

The pair had given up all hope of finding the lost ring until Jan looked down and saw a sparkling object under a stone on the Sands of Wright beach.

Image caption Mr Higson said he thought the ring could have been lost anywhere on mainland Orkney

Mrs Higson, a 49-year-old who works in a primary school, told BBC Scotland: "We walk the dogs at various beaches and Paul works at various places on Orkney mainland so we had just given up.

"We thought that was it."

Image caption Jan Higson spotted something metallic under the stones on the beach

However, on a walk at the Sands of Wright on South Ronaldsay Jan realised she had forgotten to bring poo bags for their dogs, Buddy and Rafn.

Paul went back to the car to collect them.

Jan said: "I stood there with two dogs and just looked down and saw something metallic in the stones.

"I originally thought it was a washer or something like that but I bent down and moved one of the stones because it was wedged under one of the stones and pulled it out and it was Paul's wedding ring."

Image caption The couple take their dogs for walks on the Sands of Wright and other beaches

Mr Higson, 60, who is an environmental consultant, keen birdwatcher and beachcomber, said he had no idea how or when he lost the ring.

When his wife told him she had found it he could hardly believe it.

He said: "I was quite stunned, to be honest, because I thought Jan was joking.

"She showed me the ring and it just fitted straight back on my finger again."

Paul said he had worn the ring for 25 years and knew straight away it was his.

He said: "When you've worn it as long as I have you just know. It fitted perfectly. It was the ring."

He added: "For Jan to just to look down and see it was a million-to-one chance really."

Jan said she put the news of the chance find on Facebook and family and friends were "absolutely stunned".

She said she hopes her brilliant luck continues and plans to enter the Euromillions Lottery this weekend.

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