AN ex-seaman has revealed how he is still owed £20 by Beatles Star George Harrison, after selling him his dream guitar in the sixties.

Ivan Hayward, 70, met the late Beatle around 1961 after George visited his home to discuss buying the slick Gretch Duo Jet.

The young George, who was not yet a household name, loved it so much that he offered him £70 for it.

But Ivan wanted £90 and the two drew up an IOU to settle their differences.

Mr Hayward still has the very IOU signed by George but never received the £20 back even after the Beatle hit stardom. The guitar went on to be one of George's favourites. It features on his solo album cover for Cloud Nine, released in February, 2004 The revelations have only arisen because a documentary film has been made on the "Cunard Yanks", a group of seamen who worked on ships between Liverpool and New York in the 50s.

Ivan, now a grandfather-of-nine, said: "He arrived wearing a plastic jacket and pants.

"We haggled for it and I knew I was never going to get £90.

"He gave me a bundle of pound notes which had been crumpled there was only £70 but the notes were really stacked high because they were so old. I had a hard time counting them.

"It bothered me at the time because I wanted as much money as possible to go to the United States."

Ivan, now of Willowmead Gardens, Marlow, was pushed into telling his story by fellow ex-seaman, Bill Harrison, who features in the film alongside him. He was with Ivan at Andy's Guitar Shop in New York where he originally bought the guitar, and both were workers on Cunard ships.

George wrote the IOU on the back of the original custom receipt Ivan received when he purchased the instrument.

Ivan said: "I was very fond of the guitar. I didn't want to part with it. It was the only one in Liverpool, that is for sure.

"I paid $200 for it which was roughly £70 then so I only got for it what I paid for it."

George even asked Ivan, who was 25 at the time, to play something before he bought the guitar.

Ivan, who was a lead guitarist in several groups and used to play at the Mecca Locarno in Liverpool had given first refusal on the guitar to 50s star Tommy Steele.

He decided to sell the cherished instrument to help him and his new wife, Annitta, emigrate to the USA.

The Cunard Yanks were well known in Liverpool for bringing back records and instruments from New York which could not be imported at the time.

Ivan only met George after giving a band called the Delacardoes a lift in his cab. A member of the band said he knew "someone" who might want it.

However, Ivan stayed in England after his wife became preg-nant with their first son.

He holds no grudges and is still a big Beatles fan.