Wife's £1,000 jacket found in Nottinghamshire recycling truck

The parcel was found intact inside the recycling lorry

A man has thanked a team for retrieving a £1,000 jacket he had bought for his wife from a recycling lorry after it was left by his bin.

The man, from West Bridgford in Nottinghamshire, said a delivery firm had left the cardboard package next to his blue bin before it was emptied.

He contacted waste firm Veolia, who searched through four tonnes of rubbish in the lorry to find the parcel.

Veolia said it was fortunate the gift had been found.

'Fortunate set of circumstances'

The man, who did not wish to be named, contacted his local authority Rushcliffe Borough Council and Veolia shortly after the collection on New Year's Eve.

He told them the delivery firm had placed the parcel next to his blue bin, despite him asking for it to be left in his porch, resulting in the item being mistakenly picked up with his other recycling waste.

The council's waste team diverted the lorry from its rounds to search it, meaning it contained only half of its collection instead of its usual nine-tonne load.

Staff found the item intact within half an hour of the search starting.

The council's portfolio holder for the environment, Rob Inglis, said: "We are very pleased the team could work quickly to return the item safely to its owner, especially considering the item was a gift for a loved one.

"We were delighted to hear the resident's reaction when it was located; he couldn't have been more thankful."

A Veolia spokesperson said: "It's very difficult to find lost items amongst the volume of recycling that we receive into the facility.

"A very fortunate set of circumstances made it possible on this occasion and our team is thrilled to have been able to help."