Malcolm Wareing sobbed when he caught sight of wife of 69 years Edna, 89, and told her "I've missed you" before they shared a kiss.

The ex-moulder had pleaded with staff at Chapel Lodge Care home in Burnley for months to "promise" that they would bring his wife of 69 years to be with him.

And they had worked "very hard" to keep the news that she would be moving into the residence a secret before the surprise meeting on Thursday.

Care home manager Kathy Crossley, 58, said: "It's a true love story.

"With all my years working in care, since I was 18, I have never ever experienced anything like it in my life. I can’t stop thinking about it.

"Me and his family set it up. It was very, very hard keeping the secret."

She added: "It was fantastic, it was so emotional. We were just all crying - the family and me and my staff - we were sobbing, we just couldn’t believe it.

"We could just see the love and how much he had missed her and how much it meant to him. It was beautiful."