A FOOTBALL fan known for playing his beloved trumpet at matches is appealing for the public’s help after he lost his instrument after Wales’s Euro 2016 opener against Slovakia.

Les Hunt, 72, from Wales, believes he lost his trumpet at Poole ferry port while transferring luggage from one vehicle to another.

Known in football circles as ‘Les the Trumpet’, he was pictured playing the said instrument in Cardiff last June before Wales’s Euro 2016 qualifier against Belgium.

Although it has been over a fortnight since he returned to his home town of Port Talbot, he is continuing to make a heartfelt plea for his trumpet’s return.

Les, who travelled to France with his sons Nigel and Jason and grandson Jordan, described the night he believes his trumpet went missing.

“It was 10pm and it was dark and we were tired after travelling from Bordeaux to Cherbourg and then crossing to Poole. I think I may have left it in its case on a roundabout in the docks," he told the South Wales Evening Post.

“It's not a brilliant trumpet but it means a lot to me. It is of sentimental value rather than musical value,” he added.

Les described the atmosphere at the Euro 2016 tournament as “brilliant”, adding he “felt like a pop star” when playing his trumpet at the Wales v Slovakia game.

That feeling returned in Bordeaux when his trumpet-playing antics created a stir among fans, with a French TV company even filming him in action.

Anyone with information about the trumpet can ring Nigel Hunt on 07737 046557.