TWO childhood friends have been reunited after 30 years, thanks to a chance appearance on television.

June Ramsey and Mary Hancocks first met as children when they lived in Cyprus with their parents who were serving in the forces. They returned to England, with June living in Lincolnshire and Mary moving to Bromsgrove, but drifted apart in 1975 when June moved to Germany.

Now the two are back together after Mary spotted her old friend on a news bulletin complaining about eyesore buildings - and discovered she had been living 15 miles away for the past eight years.

"It was amazing. I was walking through the lounge and stopped and looked at the television and thought 'I know that woman'," said Mary, aged 54, from Inkberrow.

"She started speaking and I recognised her mouth and I knew it was her. It's an absolute fluke - if I'd been a minute earlier in the lounge or doing the tea I would have missed her."

"The next day I got a call from the reporter who interviewed me saying someone from my past had got in touch and her name was Mary," said 55-year-old June, who moved to Malvern in 1997 to work as a secretary.

"I was so thrilled. I'd checked the internet quite a bit to see if she appeared on there but she didn't. We get on so well. We both thought the other might be abroad given our background and were quite amazed to be living so close. We found out we have been going to the same places - the theatre, we shop at the same supermarket and she is often in Malvern to see friends."

Mary added: "It's so wonderful to say 'do you remember what is was like in Cyprus with the ponies and the airmen we had crushes on?'

"I've told her I'm never going to let her go again."