A Tenby newsagent had his faith in human nature restored recently when a customer handed back nearly £600 in takings he had given them by mistake.
Mr. Peter Dunbar, of Westgate Newsagency, revealed that he was cashing up for the day at around 6.30 pm last Tuesday when a lady, Rosalind Bown, and her daughter, Florence, came into the shop.
He put the takings into a bag on the counter and went to serve them.
Chatting to them, he discovered that they were staying in town as Florence had a small role in the BBC film 'I Capture the Castle', being filmed at Manorbier.
They were due to return home to Cambridge the following day and were looking for a few gifts for their family.
"They bought a couple of things, and some sweets for the little girl, so I put it all in a carrier bag for them," explained Mr. Dunbar.
"After they left the shop, I carried on cashing up, only to realise that the bag of money wasn't there!"
Realising that he must have put the money in Mrs. Bown's carrier bag, Mr. Dunbar went out to look for them.
"There was no sign of them on the road, and then I realised that I did not know where they were staying," he said.
"As they were doing some last minute shopping, I drove around town for a while to see if I could spot them, but had no luck.
"I went to the police station to report it, but told the officer I wasn't particularly worried, as they seemed genuine enough."
Mr. Dunbar's faith was well founded, for at around 10 pm, he received a 'phone call from Tenby police station to say that his money was safely under lock and key in their safe.
"It turns out that Mrs. Bown and Florence were staying at the Atlantic Hotel," explained Mr. Dunbar. "When they got back to the hotel, they had put their shopping in their room and went to dinner.
"After dinner, Florence had gone to fetch some of the sweets she had bought, only to find £580 in £10 and £20 notes instead!"
The family contacted the police immediately and the surprise gift was returned to a grateful Mr. Dunbar who has since written to Mrs. Bown and Florence, to express his thanks.
"It was my own fault really," said Mr. Dunbar. "It's nice to think that there are still honest people left in this world."