A grieving son has sparked an international search for a biscuit tin accidentally thrown out in the wake of his mum's death.

Magnus Spence, 52, has been on a three-month quest to find the vintage McVitie's tin, which depicts an artist's impression of the Forth Road Bridge before it opened.

The commemorative tin was a staple throughout his childhood as his mum, Sheila, who died in December aged 85, used it to store Jaffa Cakes.

Sheila lived in Leith, Edinburgh, and worked at the The Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies where she fell in love with an Orcadian, Albert Spence, who was a student there at the time.

The couple moved to Aberdeenshire and then to Orkney, and had Magnus, who works as a farmer.

Although he grew up on Orkney, Magnus said the biscuit tin reminded him of the arduous journey to Edinburgh to see his gran, which the family would make once a year.

However, in the wake of his mother's death, Magnus' partner got rid of it without realising its sentimental value.

Magnus said: "Mum always had it in the house, it was the tin she kept the Jaffa Cakes in for when kids came round.

"Her father's parents moved to Edinburgh from Orkney at the turn of the 20th century where there was a big Orkney population in the Leith area.

"My mother married an Orkney fella in 1961 and they went back - she had Orkney blood in her."

But even living on an island in the far north of Scotland, the biscuit tin helped to remind Sheila of her roots in the capital.

The distinctive tin is illustrated with a technicolour picture of the Forth Road Bridge, which was scheduled to open in 1963 but was finally finished the following year, and UNESCO World Heritage site the Forth Bridge, which was finished in 1889.

Magnus has messaged eBay sellers advertising the same tin, to check if it came into their hands.

However he has had no luck so far - but has received messages from people in Cumbria and America who became aware of his search.

Dad-of-two Magnus said: "I've been looking since January. It was during overzealous tidying of the kitchen cupboards when it was thrown out.

"Unfortunately my partner didn't realise the sentimental value it had."

He found an identical box but knew it was not the correct one due to a child's scratches on the metal.

Magnus added: "It is fascinating the way interest has spread. Apart from the historical novelty it's got no value, it's just a tin. You probably wouldn't get a fiver for it."