PLASTERER Pete Jarvis called in his cousin to work on his new home - only to find a 23-year-old newspaper photo of his helpful relative under the carpet.

Pete, 23, and his cousin Roger Pearce, 47, could not believe their eyes at the discovery at a house in Chickerell Road Weymouth.

The pair had been looking for damp spots when the find was made. Moments earlier Roger, a trained plasterer, had used his damp detecting equipment to find the only place in the house where he thought moisture could be.

But when Pete pulled the carpet back he saw an old copy of the Dorset Echo containing a photo of Roger staring back at him.

The amazing coincidence left them both stunned, but Pete says it is a good omen for his new home.

He said: "My girlfriend and I had been given the keys to our first home but a building survey said it needed quite a lot of work doing to get rid of the damp.

"Roger brought his damp- detecting equipment round but we couldn't find any damp anywhere.

"Finally Roger went into a back room and the equipment went off at a spot under the carpet.

"I pulled the carpet back and the first thing I saw was a picture of Roger staring back. I was completely amazed and a bit spooked, to be honest."

The photo was from a copy of the Echo dated January 1984 and was of Roger in his football prime playing for the Red Lion pub.

Roger said: "I had gone home by this time and Pete phoned me to say, You won't believe what I've just found. I'm sure I've got a picture of you here.' "I hardly believed him, but went back and saw a picture of me from years ago.

"I played for the Red Lion from 1983-89 and I actually remember the photo being taken.

"We had just been sponsored by a company called Silicon Chip Computers, which sounds very '80s now and, the paper took a photo of the team. I told Pete moving into this house was meant to be."

Pete is still working on the property before he and girlfriend Natalie Riley can move in, but he already has a good feeling about it.

"I was spooked at the beginning but now I just think it is a really good omen.

"The people who lived here must have scattered a newspaper beneath the underlay all those years ago.

"The chances of finding a photo of Roger must have been remote, but for Roger to actually find the spot is even more amazing. I've had the paper framed now and Roger can have it to keep."