DIAMOND couple Irene and Mark Solecki have seen south Essex completely transformed during their 60 years of marriage.

The couple who saw Basildon new town spring up as their children grew, before moving to Leigh, are now celebrating their diamond wedding.

Mrs Solecki, 80, said they were married at St Andrew's Church, in Romford, in 1948 and moved to Basildon four years later so they could have their own home.

She said: "There wasn't much there. It was a couple of roads with houses, two shops and no schools. There was just a butchers and a grocers, if you wanted anything else you had to go into Pitsea.

"It built up around us. It was quite fast really - once they got into Whitmore Way the houses seemed to go up like billyho."

The happy couple met through a friend when Mrs Solecki was 19 and working at for Dr Barnardo's in London.

Mark, now 84, had served with the Royal Engineers during the war and had then taken up a career as an engineer for Ford.

They have four children - Sylvia, Kenneth, Sheila and Irene - as well as four grandchildren and five great grand-children.

Now living in London Road, Leigh, the pair have taken the rough with the smooth together during their 60 years.

"I suppose we are very different characters, but we jolly along and get over our problems," said Mrs Solecki.

"It seems to work so far, you can't say it's not working now!"