Windermere: Engagement ring lost in lake found by freediver

The couple, Vik and Rebecca, were delighted to have their ring back

A woman who lost her engagement ring in a lake two days after her boyfriend popped the question has been reunited with it thanks to a freediver.

The white gold and diamond ring slipped from the woman's finger as she sat on a jetty at a hotel on the shores of Windermere in the Lake District.

Angus Hosking, a volunteer who carries out underwater litter picks, was alerted by staff on the lake.

Using an underwater metal detector he found it after a 20-minute search.

The ring was retrieved from the scoop of the underwater metal detector

The 22-year-old, along with fellow freediver Declan Turner, 20, have been clearing litter from lakes for the past three-and-a-half years, describing themselves as a "community-based organisation".

He said they were often called upon to help people "in their time of need", as was the case on Monday.

"I got the call at work at lunchtime and came as soon as I finished my shift," he said.

"With something as light and small as a ring it's time sensitive, but fortunately we had a rough idea of where it was - if it had been in the middle of the lake it wouldn't have been like a needle in a haystack, but a needle in the world."

The white gold and diamond ring is understood to have been custom made for the couple

Using the metal detector, which had been given as a donation, he began a search of the area.

At first there were a couple of false alarms from random bits of metal and a coin, Angus said.

"The guy, Vik, was stood watching, anticipating, and you could tell he was seeming to get a bit disheartened.

"But then I saw the glint underwater and so pretty much knew it was there.

"It didn't shine like a coin, it shone like a diamond - it was amazing."

The BBC has tried to contact the couple known only as Vik and Rebecca.

Angus Hosking is a freediver - they do not use underwater breathing apparatus