Last updated 20:20, Thursday, 17 July 2008

A MARYPORT man only found out his brother had died when he was tracked down by a BBC TV programme.

Andy Long, 49, of Kirby Street, had not seen his elder brother Graham for about 20 years.

Graham Long died in 2004 aged and had left his brother about £15,000. He did not know until he was contacted by a probate firm on behalf of BBC 1’s Heir Hunters.

He said he was shocked to receive the news of his brother’s death, which was all the more tragic because it had taken so long to find out.

Their parents died when Andy was 11 years old.

He and a sister were sent to a children’s home while Graham went to live with an uncle.

“He used to save his money to come and see us,” Andy said.

Andy said the last time he saw his brother was 20 years ago.

He said: “We met in a pub in Edinburgh and he was drinking a lot.

“He suddenly got angry. he punched me in the stomach and I left. But I never imagined we had parted for the last time.

“When you are going in different directions in life, it is easy to lose contact.”

Andy said the lack of contact has left him grieving for his brother so long after he died.

“When the money came it just sat there. I didn’t know what to do. I hadn’t earned it, I didn’t deserve it.

“In the end I decided I could not just spend it on a holiday. I couldn’t.“So I have decided to use the money to complete a degree in British Sign Language to help me in my job as an interpreter for the deaf. I think Graham would have liked it,” he added.

A pioneer in setting up computers in buildings, Graham became an alcoholic and, towards the end of his life, began missing work and embarked on a downward spiral, Andy has since discovered. He died as a result of liver disease caused by the alcohol.

The probate firm’s representatives said it was one of the most tragic and poignant cases the company had dealt with, because of Graham’s age and because it was siblings who had lost contact.

The show was broadcast on BBC1 last week.