IT was love at first click for a newly-wed Upper Rissington resident whose love blossomed with his bride from Panama over the internet.

Gareth Hewitt, a line manager at Tesco's Evesham store, first met Yagel Cornejo, aged 24 in a chat room just over 12 months ago.

They hit off straight away and after months of exchanging e-mails, pictures and making phone calls to one another, the couple decided to meet up last September.

Yagel, was so desperate to meet Gareth she flew around 7,000 miles from the edge of Panama city, capital of the Central American country just to see him for five days. Her trip was short as she had to return to work where she has a job working for Cobra Airlines.

Gareth said: "It was love at first sight, I knew I wanted to be with her the minute I met her off the plane at Heathrow airport.

"My parents, Colin and Alison were very supportive and also got on with Yagel, and our relationship blossomed from there."

Gareth then visited Yagel in Panama for a week. It was on his last day and after a visit to the Panama Canal that he decided to pop the question at the hotel.

He said: "I guess it was the small things that made me realise she was the one for me. I couldn't wait to speak to her on the phone and I couldn't wait to receive her next e-mail. That's when I knew and decided to ask her to marry me.

"She accepted straight away but I was pretty sure she would."

The couple exchanged vows at Moreton Registry office on Saturday, July 30 and spent the night at Upper slaughter's exclusive Lords of the Manor Hotel.

Gareth added: "You hear a lot of negative stories about meeting people on the internet, but so long as you are careful and build a rapport with the other person, it can work and it certainly did for me.

"The internet really has opened the world to everyone."