Man reunited with phone lost in River Wye for 10 months

"I cant believe its come back to me," said Owain Davies

A man who lost his mobile phone in the River Wye 10 months ago says he "can't believe" it has been returned to him in working order.

Owain Davies dropped his iPhone while canoeing on a stag do in Cinderford, Gloucestershire, in August 2021.

Miguel Pacheco found it earlier this month while canoeing with his family, dried it out at home and posted photos online to try to track down the owner.

"I didn't think it was any good. It was full of water," he said.

He told BBC Radio Gloucestershire he went to a lot of effort to dry out the phone because there may have been "sentimental" things on it.

"I know if I lost my phone, I've got a lot of pictures of my children, I know I'd want that back, " he said.

Mr Pacheco spotted "something blue floating in the water" while canoeing with his daughter

After Mr Pacheco, from Drybrook, Gloucestershire, found the phone, he dried it out with an airline and compressor, before placing it in the airing cupboard overnight.

"In the morning when I put it on charge, I just couldn't believe it," he said.

The screensaver showed a photo of a man and woman with the date 13 August; the day it had fallen into the water.

The phone had been underwater for 10 months

After posting the photos in his local Cinder Noticeboard Facebook group, they were shared more than 4,000 times.

Despite its owner being off social media for the past six months, the photo was eventually recognised by friends of Owain Davis and his fiancée Fiona Gardner, who live in Edinburgh.

Mr Davies said: "I was in a two-man canoe and my partner probably shouldn't have stood up, and needless to say we fell in.

"The phone was in my back pocket and as soon as it was in the water I realised the phone was gone."

Mr Davies was on a stag do in Cinderford last August when he lost his phone

He was impressed Mr Pacheco had made such an effort to recover his phone.

"My natural reaction would be to hand it into the nearest pub. It wouldn't be to use my air compressor to dry it out and dismantle it."