A pair of long lost brothers have been reunited in an incredible turn of fate after 60 years apart.
Leslie and Peter Clark, of Hertfordshire, discovered they have been living just streets away from one another after losing contact in 1961.
Despite both living in Watford their entire lives, they never bumped into one another until a chance encounter brought them back together.
Leslie, 88, who previously worked for Rolls Royce, had been searching for his brother to no avail, HertsLive reports.
But things changed in August when he agreed to take part in a photoshoot for the Watford Community Housing magazine after having his house fitted with environmentally friendly insulation.
The housing association delivered copies to almost all its tenants including Peter, 79, who decided to flick through the magazine with a cup of tea while taking a break from gardening.
He was astounded to see a photo of a man who bore a striking resemblance to his long-lost brother and who would be the same age.
"I couldn’t quite believe it," said Peter, a retired chef.
"I read through this story, all the while thinking that’s got to be my brother.
"There was a little bit of doubt though as I hadn’t seen him in so long and it was difficult to picture him at the age he is now.
"But I rang Watford Community Housing, and they passed my phone number on to Leslie."
Peter waited to hear from Leslie who rang and arranged to meet after years spent trying to find him.
The brothers met at Leslie's house and continued onto the pub where they caught up on lost time.
"It was a shock to see Peter standing there in the doorway, especially considering I’d been looking for him all these years," Leslie said.
"It’s fantastic to be able to spend time with my brother again."
He recalled the last time he saw his younger brother who brought a present for his son to the Meriden Estate in 1961.
"The strange thing is we’d both been living in Watford almost the whole time, barely a stone’s throw from each other. And it took a photo in a magazine for us to be reunited," Peter said.
"As you’d imagine we had a lot to catch up on."
