AN American woman has located her cousins in Andover - after 47 years.

Mrs Yvonne Vaughn, nicknamed Bonnie made an appeal in the Andover Advertiser last week to find her cousins Pearl and Marina Hatcher. She last saw them in 1957 when she was 17. Marina Hatcher, now Mrs Marina Bulpitt of Stockbridge saw the story first.

She had been meaning to do a similar appeal in an American newspaper.

"Usually my husband reads the paper first but I decided to read it first this time and I just could not believe it," said Mrs Bulpitt.

The last contact Mrs Bulpitt had with her cousin Bonnie was a letter written in 1964.

The last memory she has of her is when she and Mrs Vaughn were about 13 cycling around the town in their pedal pushers.

Mrs Bulpitt said: "As soon as I had her number I rang her and she just could not believe it.

"We were each in tears at the end of the phone."

Mrs Vaughn is visiting England in June for two months.

Mrs Bulpitt said she is going to meet Bonnie from the Airport because she can't wait to see her.