Teenager praised after handing in £10,000 he found at a bus shelter

A teenager who discovered more than £10,000 in plastic bags at a bus shelter was praised yesterday for handing the money in to the police.

Nathan Gittings, 14, spotted two plastic bags at a bus shelter near his home in Hengoed, near Caerphilly in south Wales.

He did not open them at first, believing that someone would return to retrieve them. But he returned to the bus stop the next day and discovered they were filled with money.

Nathan's mother, Sharon Gittings, 39, said he had been praying for money to buy a new fishing rod for about three weeks, and thought his prayers had been answered.

But when he got home, he knewhe would not be able to keep the cash, which was found with an assortment of personal belongings.

"It was hard to phone the police, as there was so much money, but I knew it was the right thing to do," Nathan said.

Mrs Gittings, a pharmacy worker, said Nathan was "trembling and white" when he arrived home.

She said she was "extremely proud" of her son. "There was £9,000 in [one] bag. We just sat there and we were both speechless.

"We rang the police and they took it away." She added: "He had been praying for three weeks to find money to buy a fishing rod. We did not know where the money was from."

Nathan has been fishing since he was two and is taking part in a competition in north Wales this weekend.

His honesty has since been rewarded by a local who offered to buy him a fishing rod.

Gwent police also commended Nathan's honesty. "He discovered a large amount of money and demonstrated maturity in telling his parents and the police."

The money has been returned to its owner, believed to be an elderly man who, confused while on medication, took his life savings with him when he went for a walk.