A BUS driver has thanked the mystery Good Samaritan who found his phone and money abandoned on a bench.

Tony Townsend wanted to publicly thank the 'kind stranger' who posted his phone, money and cards back to him, after he left them on a bench in Oxford.

The 74-year-old left the items as he got onto a bus to start a shift last month, and only realised they were lost when he finished work. 

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Last week, a package turned up in the post with everything intact.

His granddaughter Donna, who got in touch with the Oxford Mail to share the appeal, said: "My Gramp is really happy but would like to try and reward and thank the person who not only found the phone, but handed it back and paid for it to be posted back.

"They didn’t leave a name or anything to say who they were."

Mr Townsend, who lives in Rose Hill, said he left a wallet containing his phone, cards and about £9 in cash on a bench near Queens Lane.

He had been getting information off his phone and had placed it on the bench, to write the information in his diary.

His granddaughter contacted his network to lock the phone as a precaution.

The full-time bus driver, who has 11 great-grandchildren, said: "Unfortunately in doing so, I erased all the pictures on the phone, including of my great-granddaughter.

"That's the most distressing part of it for me."

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He said a delivery note from the Post Office came last week, when he and his wife were away celebrating their anniversary, and he thought 'what have I ordered from eBay now?'

After arranging for the parcel to be re-delivered, Mr Townsend said: "We got into the kitchen and opened it up, and there everything was.

"There was a letter but all it said was 'found this on my way home'."

The person had posted it back using the address on Mr Townsend's driving licence.

He added: "I would like to say thank you to the person in some way."

Email news@nqo.com or call 01865 425429 if you know or are the mystery stranger.