Pensioner loses £80,000 life savings after leaving cash on roof of his car

A distraught pensioner lost his entire life savings of £80,000 - after he accidentally left the money on the roof of his car. The 68-year-old man, who wants to remain anonymous, said he didn't trust banks and so kept the money in his car because he thought it was safer than leaving it at home when he went out. But his retirement dreams were dashed when he accidentally set off for his part-time decorating job with the money, placed in a drawstring bag, still on his car roof.

The man from Southend, Essex, was in tears as he told how he'd saved £2,000 a year all his working life to ensure he could support himself in his retirement. For many years he stashed the money under his bed, but when his guard dog died, aged 12, he decided it would be safer to keep the money in his car. He had bundled £10,000 wads of notes into eight small plastic bags, placed inside another plastic bag and then a blue drawstring bag.



He said: 'My car is never more than 10ft away from me when I am work so I can keep an eye on it. That morning I went to work at about 6.20am and didn't realise I had lost it until noon. I went home and checked my bedroom in case I had left it there. Then I realised I must have put it on the roof of my car. If not, I may put it down as I got in the car, but either way it was gone.' I'm gutted. I have worked all my life and have never been on benefits or asked anyone else for a penny.

'I don't have a (company) pension so this was all I had. I don't know what I am going to do now. My grandson helped me look for the bag. We found some of the small bags empty in the street so it's pretty certain someone found it. I don't hold out much hope of getting it back but if I do I will give a reward to whoever brings it back.' The bag was lost in an area between Dulverton Avenue and Mendip Crescent. As no crime has been committed, police say they can only treat the incident as lost property.