A family has been reunited with a treasured heirloom after spotting an appeal in The Argus.

The pendant, bearing an old photograph of a young couple, had been the subject of a four-year mystery after it was found by a postman.

A newsagent manager in Hangleton, who was given the pendant, has been trying to trace its owner ever since.

Sandra Lander, of Maresfield Road, Brighton, noticed the photo of her late grandparents, Elizabeth and George Whittington, in Friday's paper.

She said: "My daughter delivers The Argus and I was just flicking through the last paper before she delivered it.

I saw the photo and just said, Oh my God'.

"My nan died in November 2006 so we have been looking at all the old family photos. The same photograph is in one of her albums so I recognised it straight away. On the back of the pendant is a photo of my great grandfather. It is just lovely to have it back in the family because we lost my nan and my aunt, my mum's sister, within a few days of each other. We were a close family before but this has made us even closer."

Sandra, 42, who helps her mother, Maureen Daughtery, 62, run Maon Hotel in Upper Rock Gardens, said they had spent many hours looking through the old photographs.

Family discussions have concluded that Sandra's grandmother, who died in November 2006, lost the pendant on a visit to her uncle's house in Amberley Close, Hangleton. Sandra said: "I recognised the photo but didn't recognise the pendant but my mum did. We didn't realise it was missing."

The photo was taken in 1942 before the couple were married. George Whittington met his wife in St Albans, Hertfordshire, after being injured in the Royal Navy. His ship was sunk and he was thrown into a sea of burning oil, suffering severe burns. He was sent to convalesce in Hertfordshire where he was cared for by Elizabeth's mother.

Sandra said: "He died at 59, 34 years ago, probably because of the damage to his lungs."