METAL detector enthusiasts did their civic duty to unearth their mayoress's medal lost in the sands during a Boxing Day dip.

Brenda Forster, mayoress of Redcar and Cleveland, lost the medal from her civic chain along with her glasses, when she fell over during the charity dip at Redcar.

Malcolm and Moira Price, of Marske, members of Cleveland Discoverers Club, came to the rescue.

The couple, aged 72 and 70, went to enormous lengths to return the medal to the people of the district, calculating the movement of the tides since the loss of the medal to work out the rough location of the medal and glasses.

Mr Price said the club often helped out people who had lost metal objects.

He said: "We have had members finding things for farmers in haystacks and all sorts.

"We like to think of it as a kind of public service we can offer.

"The mayoress invited us to her parlour and all that, which was really nice, but it wasn't our cup of tea. As it happens, she came round and had a chat when she picked it up."

Coun Forster said she was very grateful to the couple for all their efforts, and said her son-in-law is also a member of the metal detecting club.

* Cleveland Discoverers meet on the second Monday of each month, at Redcar Library.