A RETIRED bank executive from Watford experienced a minor miracle while on a trip of a lifetime in Australia.

Keith Stevens, 62, lost his new prescription sunglasses while on a diving trip with his wife on the Great Barrier Reef this April.

While applying sun cream, the boat lurched forward, throwing his sunglasses overboard, where they landed in the ocean and quickly sank to a depth of 12.5 metres.

Despite holding little hope for the safe return of his specs, Keith passed his details onto the dive company, who promised to search the reefs on subsequent expeditions.

Six weeks later, the sunglasses were sent to Keith's sister-in-law's house in Australia, missing only a plastic cushion.

She sent them on to Keith immediately, who recieived them in England ten days later.

Keith said "I could not believe my eyes when I opened my post one morning only to find my sunglasses in near perfect condition.

"I took them back to my local specsavers store in Watford, where store director, Tim Griffiths, replaced the missing cushion free of charge."

Mr Griffiths said: "It is a minor miracle the sunglasses were found, but even more so that after spending weeks entangled in coral at the bottom of the ocean, these prescription sunglasses suffered such little damage."