LONDON  —  British police say a trash collector can hold on to the mound of mutilated cash he found stuffed into a wastebasket in the English town of Lincoln earlier this year.

But he'll have to piece the notes back together if he wants to make any money from the find.

Graham Hill found an estimated 10,000 pounds in 10 and 20 pound notes inside a wastebasket in Lincoln's town center. But the notes appear to have been sliced into small pieces using scissors.

Detective Constable Nick Cobb said Wednesday that an extensive investigation hadn't turned up any evidence the money was stolen and that Hill was free to claim his find.

Britain's central bank says Hill might be able to turn his chopped-up currency into cash if he can put the bills back together again.