A WINSFORD family have been reunited with a ‘precious’ toy after a weekend clear-out turned into a nightmare.

A bag of teddies belonging to Hanna Dutton’s eight-year-old daughter Libby – including a 65-year-old teddy bear named Ted that was handed down from the youngster’s grandmother – was accidentally taken to the Winsford Recycling Centre by Hanna’s husband Gareth.

The family had been clearing out some space in the house and collected the stuffed toys to keep them safe, but the bag had become mixed in with rubbish destined for the tip.

Hanna said: “It was around 8pm that night when our daughter realised the bag was not in the house anymore and it hit us all that the toys were sitting in the tip.

“I was so upset as the bear belonged to my mother and has been a part of the family for so long.”

Northwich Guardian:

The precious teddy bear, originally owned by Hanna's mum, was accidentally sent to the tip.

With her daughter distraught to discover that Ted was missing, the mum-of-two went online and appealed for help from the community to find the bag of teddies.

The 40-year-old was contacted by Dave Acton, a worker at the site, and arranged to meet the following morning to start the search.

Staff helped Hanna look through the piles of rubbish that had been brought in since her husband’s trip on Sunday morning with no luck, leaving her and the children feeling devastated.

Seemingly defeated, Hanna received a message an hour after she left to say that the bears had been found unharmed after the search for Ted continued using diggers to move mounds of rubbish.

Hanna added: “I cannot tell you how grateful we all are to the wonderful people that run the tip who went above and beyond their duty to help us find all the teddies.”