by Thom Morris

A couple who met up for a no-strings attached blind date were shocked to find out they were actually sister and brother.

Sarah Kemp, 42, had been swapping emails and photos with 47-year-old George Bentley for a few months on a dating site before agreeing to meet up with him in London.

The pair, born in Ashford in the 1960s, said they spent an "idyllic childhood" in the town with their parents Felicity and David Bentley.

But in 1975 the couple divorced and Sarah, who was six at the time, moved with her mum to Edinburgh while David, nine, went with his dad to London.

As adults the pair tried to track each other down but with no luck. The search was made more difficult when Sarah married in 1989 and, despite divorcing a decade later, kept her husband's name of Kemp.

But against the 500 million to one odds, the siblings were reunited after joining dating site ForgetDinner.co.uk which promises "no strings attached fun, hot steamy action and erotic encounters," last November.

Sarah, a cleaner who still lives in Edinburgh, said: "Can you imagine the surprise, joy and embarrassment we both felt?

"It was such a crazy thing. To meet your long-lost brother in a bar after 30 years would be something by itself but to have met him in those circumstances, on a date for crying out loud, really is something else."

They decided to meet last weekend in London after three months of conferring by email.

Sarah continued: "We had so much in common and we really enjoyed each other's company. It was as if we'd known each other all our lives,"

After talking about their childhoods for more than an hour the pair finally twigged that they were related - before any "kisses or fumbles".

Despite their embarrassment, they celebrated with a bottle of champagne.

Since the date took place the brother and sister have met twice more in Edinburgh and have vowed never to lose touch again.

Builder George from London added: "This was the meeting of a lifetime, and we are now planning to see each other as often as possible to catch up on the time spent apart."