A Tameside man who lost his false teeth while vomiting into a bin on a night out in Benidorm says he has been reunited with them more than a decade later.
The Spanish authorities reportedly tracked down Paul Bishop using his DNA after his dentures were found in landfill.
The 63-year-old says he was left 'stunned' when his gnashers turned up in the letterbox at his home in Stalybridge yesterday morning (February 9).
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Paul was on an all-day drinking session in the Spanish resort with a group of friends back in 2011 when he threw up outside a bar.
"It was my mate's 50th birthday and we'd been out drinking since midday," he explained.
"It was about 11pm and I'd had nothing to eat all day.
"We had a lot of beer, so I had a pint of cider instead.
"I had half of it left when my mates said we were moving on. I washed it down in one but could feel it coming back up.
"As we were leaving, I noticed this big green bottle bin so sloshed it all out."
It was only when Paul arrived at the next bar that he realised his top set of dentures were missing.
He said: "One of the lads said 'where are your teeth?'
"I realised it must have been in the bin.
"We went back but there were hundreds of bottles in there."
Paul rummaged around in vain for his teeth and returned to search again the next morning, but the bin had been emptied.
He was forced to spend the remainder of the holiday without his top set of dentures.
"I'd taken my Elvis suit and promised my mates I would sing, so I had to do it with no teeth in," he explained.
"Everyone thought it was hilarious."
After arriving back home, Paul splashed out £600 on a new set of dentures.
As far as he was concerned, that was the end of the matter.
So when a parcel from the Spanish authorities arrived in the post this week, Paul thought it was 'a wind-up'.
Alongside his teeth, he says there was a letter addressed to 'Senor Paul', which stated that his teeth had been found and placed in storage for 'many years' before a lab technician identified him through DNA.
The letter concluded: "I have great pleasure in returning, and hope they find you well and hope soon you return to visit Spain, but be more careful".
"I couldn't believe it," said Paul.
"I was stunned. I've moved address since 10 years ago.
"Someone has gone out of their way to trace me.
"They are in perfect condition and look brand new.
"Someone has obviously taken the time to scrub them."
While the false teeth no longer fit properly, Paul is considering putting them on display at Ridge Hill Working Men's Club, where he is general manager.
"I'm going to keep them," he said.
"I can't wear them because they're twice as big as the ones I've got now.
"I might put them in a little glass container."
