Measurements of recombination rate coefficients of binary and ternary recombination of and ions with electrons in a low temperature plasma are described. The experiments were carried out in the afterglow plasma in helium with a small admixture of Ar and parent gas (H2 or D2). For both ions a linear increase of measured apparent binary recombination rate coefficients (αeff) with increasing helium density was observed: αeff = αBIN + KHe[He]. From the measured dependencies, we have obtained for both ions the binary (αBIN) and the ternary (KHe) rate coefficients and their temperature dependence. For the description of observed ternary recombination a mechanism with two subsequent rate determining steps is proposed. In the first step, in + e (or + e) collision, a rotationally excited long-lived Rydberg molecule (or ) is formed. In the following step (or ) collides with a He atom of the buffer gas and this collision prevents autoionization of (or ). Lifetimes of the formed (or ) and corresponding ternary recombination rate coefficients have been calculated. The theoretical and measured binary and ternary recombination rate coefficients obtained for and ions are in good agreement.