A MESSAGE in a bottle from eastern European shores was discovered by a dog walker on Weymouth beach.

Photographer Idris Martin was walking his Labrador cross Sheba along the beach when he made the remarkable find.

Sheba's favourite exercise is retrieving plastic bottles thrown by Idris or wife Paula out of the sea.

Yesterday morning Sheba spotted a bottle bobbing up and down in the surf and immediately went to fetch it.

However, it was not one that had been thrown for her by her owners but one that had apparently come from the Bulgarian Black Sea resort of Lozenets over a year ago and was filled with messages from three children.

The message, from Maxim, Sophie and Polina read: "We put these pictures in the bottle in July 2014.

"We are sending this letter from Lozenets (Bulgaria).

"Peace, love, happiness to all!"

As well as the message, which was written in English as well as Bulgarian, there were a number of pictures included in the bottle, which Idris only discovered when he got home and smashed the bottle open.

The pictures also include captions in both Bulgarian and English explaining what they are.

One, by Maxim, says it is of a 'car from the future' and a drawing by Sophie says it is of 'the sky, sun, grass and the word 'Congratulations''.

The other image, drawn by Polina, says it is of the 'sky, grass and funny man'.

Idris said he was shocked by the find and even more surprised when he looked up Lozenets and disovered just how far the bottle had travelled.

He said there was an email address at the bottom of the message and he had sent a message but was still awaiting a response.

Iris said: "The bottle travelled from the Black Sea through Bosphorus Strait across the Mediterranean out through the Straits of Gibraltar into the Atlantic across the Bay of Biscay up the English Channel and then into Weymouth Bay in 14 months.

"I have emailed the family and I am eagerly awaiting their reply."