A woman from Gourock, Renfrewshire, successfully recovered her lost mobile phone after locating it in the back of a council refuse lorry. Angela Reid had mislaid her phone during a night out at a local pub and discovered it was missing the following morning.

With assistance from her daughter, Louise Reid, 28, Angela used the Find My iPhone app on an iPad to track the device’s location. The app indicated that the phone was aboard a council waste collection vehicle, prompting the pair to follow the lorry and alert the refuse crew to their situation.

The council workers responded positively and helped to search through the rubbish before eventually retrieving the phone, which was covered in refuse fluids. Despite the unpleasant condition, the phone remained functional. However, approximately £60 was reported missing from the phone’s wallet case.

Louise described the experience as both surreal and humorous, especially given the early morning state of the two after the previous night’s outing. The family chose not to involve the police, with Angela expressing relief simply at recovering the device.

The cooperation of the refuse workers proved crucial in resolving the incident, highlighting the importance of community assistance in such unusual situations.