DRIVER Julie Binczyk could not believe her eyes when hundreds of £10 and £20 notes started flying at her car as she drove along the A1079 York to Hull road.

But even more amazed was grateful shop owner Tim Jones when he got back nearly all of the £2,000 he had lost after Julie picked up nearly every single note and handed them in to the police.

Tim, manager of Moneyspinner pawnbrokers and second-hand shop in Micklegate, York, had sent motorcyclist Neil Gelder off to Hull on Saturday afternoon with £2,000 in £10 and £20 notes in the rucksack on his back.

It was only when Neil got to Hull that he realised his bag had unzipped by itself - and all the money had fallen out.

The two men drove up and down the A1079 looking for the money and eventually found a cheque book near Pocklington which had also been in the bag.

They called the police and told them what had happened.

Tim said: "The policeman said 'the likelihood of you finding it is a million to one - but my colleague is about to draw up behind you with £1,950'."

Julie, 41, a factory manager in Pocklington, said: "I was driving down the A1079 towards Shiptonthorpe and I saw a motorcycle in my rear mirror so I pulled over for him to pass and he put his hand up to thank me.

"The next minute I just thought 'Good God, what's this?' All this money flew over the top of the car. I flashed the motorcycle but he'd gone so I put my brakes on, and for a split second I didn't know what to do.

"Then I decided to pick it up. There were notes in the ditches, on the fields, all over the car and on both sides of the road. I had to pinch myself."

Julie took the money to a friend's house, and they counted up £1,950 and called the police to come and collect it.

The police said they would let her know if no-one claimed the money within 28 days, but within an hour they received Tim's call.

He went straight round to thank Julie and gave her £100 of his recovered money.

Tim said: "I told she had saved my life and I gave it her as a Christmas present."

And Julie said: "I was pleased to do something nice. I was just brought up like that."