To love and eBay

David Jones ended up with a lot more than he bargained for when he went shopping on eBay.

David, 46, from Mold, Flintshire, was bidding for a pair of ornamental birds on the auction website, but fell in love with the woman selling them. Now he and Cheryl Pipes, of Withernsea, East Yorkshire, are preparing to marry, just three months after meeting.

David said: "We chatted for hours over the internet and then met a week later - we've been inseparable ever since."

David contacted Cheryl after spotting an ornamental owl and eagle she was selling for £350 on the site.

He said: "I sent her a few questions and we got chatting over the internet for about five hours on the first night.

"That carried on for a few days. Then, a week later, we met up near Cheryl's home town. When we met each other be both went 'Wow'."

Despite sweeping Cheryl off her feet, David, a traffic enforcement officer, said he still ended up paying for his ornaments.

He added: "I didn't get them for free. I left her some very good feedback on eBay, though."

The couple have already had a "dress rehearsal" for their big day, after they were chosen to model wedding wear by a local store near Cheryl's home.

Cheryl, 45, said: "I never thought I would find someone I've spent the past 45 years looking for on eBay. My family are all over the moon for me."

Cheryl, a newspaper manager, added: "It's gone very quickly. We met in November, and of course had Christmas and New Year in between, and now we're going to get married on 10 February. Dave is putting in for a transfer to move up here, so we can be together. "I just can't wait to be Mrs Jones."