A couple left distraught after losing a locket containing pictures of their late daughter have had it returned after a successful appeal in the Telegraph & Argus.

The locket had been given to Alison Burton, 29, by her husband Chris, also 29, in memory of their daughter Scarlett Faye, who was stillborn at 28 weeks on September 11.

The loss was made even more traumatic for the couple after Alison was diagnosed with Hodgkin Lymphoma when she was pregnant. It was while she was visiting Bradford Royal Infirmary as part of her treatment on Thursday last week when the locket slipped from her neck.

Her husband immediately checked the car and retraced his wife’s steps but could not find the locket, which contained two photos of Scarlett, that his wife had worn every day.

At the request of Alison’s aunt, who lives in Southampton and who wanted to do something to help, they turned to the T&A to help with an appeal for the locket’s whereabouts.

It worked, because a reader saw the appeal and called the couple on Monday to say that she had picked the locket up outside the hospital and had been keeping it safe in her coat pocket. The couple heard the message after returning from Alison having chemotherapy and Chris raced over to the lady’s Bradford home to pick the locket up.

It was slightly damaged with a dent in it, but the clasp and hinge still worked.

Alison said: “For me the most important thing is that it hasn’t been melted down and the photos binned. It is home now back where it belongs and, for us, that is the most important thing.

“I am relieved and surprised. The first thing I did was ring my aunty who had got in touch with the newspaper, even though I hadn’t thought an appeal would make any difference.

“She is over the moon. We didn’t want to build our hopes up for another emotional fall, but it has worked.

“We thanked the lady who called us for doing the right thing because it means a lot to us. Monday actually turned out to be a nice day and we just didn’t expect it.”