Charity shop accidentally sells electrician's expensive tools for £1 when he nips outside

An electrician who volunteered his services to a charity shop as a favour had his toolbox of expensive equipment accidentally sold for £1 when he popped outside.

Andrew Bickel, 39, was fixing a faulty light switch at a cat protection charity in Cardiff for free and left his tools on a bookcase as he nipped out to his van to get some equipment.

When he returned his tools were gone and a customer told him a man had bought them for £1 after telling the woman behind the till he had pulled them out of the bargain bin, Wales Online reported.

"Inside the toolbox there were professional screwdrivers worth £50-60, my pliers, cutters and testers worth about £200," Mr Bickel said.

“I think he will have known how much they are worth!"

To add to the irony, Mr Bickel hates cats.

"They make me sneeze," he said.

Happily for Mr Bickel, a local electrical firm spotted his story after it was shared on Facebook and offered to replace his tools for free.

Andrew Evans, of LH Evans on Ocean Way, told ITV News: "We've dealt Andrew for years and his dad and his grandad before him - he's from a family of electricians and he's a customer.

"I came into work this morning and someone told me to read the story so I phoned Andrew and told him I'd sort him out next time he's in."