Rubbish tip hunt to find jewels

Mrs Goldring said it was just 'sheer luck' she found the jewellery

A woman sifted through a mound of rubbish at a landfill site to retrieve her family jewellery.

Janet Goldring, 56, searched through the waste after her husband mistakenly threw out a plastic bag containing the diamond bracelet and sapphire pendant.

The couple, from Horsham, West Sussex, had just returned from holiday.

They located the jewellery after sifting through rubbish for an hour-a-half with rubber gloves after being given permission from the council.

I do not think we would have got through the whole pile by the end of the day Janet Goldring

Mrs Goldring said the heirlooms were normally kept in the safe but had been in the plastic bag among other luggage after they returned home from holiday.

She said: "I thought that had been the end of it, but luckily my son-in-law rang up the council."

They were invited by Horsham District Council to search the landfill site after it located which refuse truck had taken the rubbish away.

She then carried out the search with her son-in-law Chris Payne and managed to locate the jewellery.

Mrs Goldring said: "It was just sheer luck.

"I do not think we would have got through the whole pile by the end of the day."