British street sweeper finds Rolex in drain

Published February 15, 2012

| NewsCore

SOUTHEND-ON-SEA, England -- A British street sweeper struck gold when he dug up an 18-carat gold Rolex worth £21,000 ($33,000) from a dirty drain in southeastern England.

The 28-year-old worker found the watch near a train station in Southend-on-Sea during his shift Friday and had it cleaned and valued by an expert, the Essex Chronicle reported Wednesday.

He was told by the jeweler that the watch was a genuine Rolex Oyster Perpetual Cosmograph, from the Daytona collection, and the honest cleaner handed it straight to the police.

Police constable Calley Mackay, of Essex police, said, "This was a highly unusual find, and it's hard to imagine how something so valuable has not been reported lost or stolen by its owner. It is possible, seeing as the drain was near a train station, that the watch was dropped by a commuter."

She appealed for the owner of the expensive watch to claim their property, but warned, "Through the serial number, we do know a little about the watch's origins and will be thoroughly checking any claim to ownership, so only honest people need apply."

The street sweeper will find that time is on his side if the Rolex is not claimed within 30 days, as he will be allowed to keep the watch.

Click here for more on this story from he Essex Chronicle.

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