What a relief! Binmen help woman find £1,000 cash thrown in the rubbish

The woman went to the Household Recycling Centre on Shidas Lane in Oldbury to throw away some black bags filled with waste after decorating her baby’s bedroom.

What she didn’t know at the time was that she was also throwing away a roll of £1,040 of her own cash, which she had accidentally swept into one of the bags alongside the rubbish.

In a panic the resident came back to the depot the following morning before it was due to open in a desperate attempt to get the money back.

Serco waste team members Gary Smith, Tom Holland and Jason Timmins immediately stepped in to help, opening up the skip and hunting through mound upon mound of household rubbish.

After nearly three hours of fruitless searching, just when the search was beginning to look hopeless, they eventually found the £1,040 of missing money right at the bottom of the skip, tied together with a rubber band.

Overjoyed to be reunited with her cash, the woman, who didn't want to be named, burst into tears with relief and gave hugs to the Serco team.

She later returned to once again express her gratitude, giving the team a gift of a tin of biscuits and a box of samosas for their trouble.

Serco Sandwell general manager John Mason said: “When the team saw how upset the resident was they immediately volunteered to help. Hunting through piles of rubbish for nearly three hours is no-one’s idea of fun, but they said the look on the lady’s face when they finally found the money definitely made it all worthwhile.

"The resident was incredibly grateful for the team for their efforts and I am very proud of the way they selflessly volunteered to help.”

Councillor David Hosell, Cabinet Member for Highways and Environment, Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council, added:

“Well done to the team for finding the missing money. I’m sure the lady is very relieved and extremely grateful for their persistence in looking for and successfully recovering the cash.”