THE compelling love story of a couple who wrote to each for seven years in the 1870s before finally getting married has been brought back to life in a book.

Meriel Hayes, of Church Hill, has spent 18 years compiling a book of letters sent from her grandfather Alfred, who was Redditch's first police superintendent, to her grandmother Polly.

Her bid to discover everything about her grandparents has led Ms Hayes to travel the length and breadth of the country.

The letters published in Dear Polly recount stories about people the couple met, the society at the time and the differences between upper and lower classes.

Anyone who would like a copy of Dear Polly, which costs £12.95, can call Ms Hayes on 65561 or buy one from WH Smith in the Kingfisher Centre.