Litter picker shocked to find 50-year-old crisp packet hiding for decades in hedgerow by Rotherham school

Neil Collett, 53, found the discarded packet at an old primary school - and realised it had probably been dumped before he even started going to one.

The vending operator found the vintage snack remnants when he delved into the depths of a hedgerow outside Redscope Primary School in Rotherham, South Yorkshire.

On the packaging the Smith Ready Salted Crisps were priced at 15p while a bag of similar size in the UK today would cost around £1.50.

After returning home Neil said he conducted his own research into the bags and was able to pin it down exactly to March 1975, due to it featuring a marketing promotion.

But he has said there was also a "serious message" behind the discovery - as abandoned litter can take a lifetime to degrade.

Neil, who runs the S61 Litter Pickers group, said: "I couldn't believe what I had found.

"I didn't have to dig deep to find them - I just saw something shine from the corner of my eye and grabbed it.

"As I found it outside a school it may be they were dropped by children all those years ago.

“If so they may have children and grandchildren of their own by now."

Though he has revealed he doesn't have a specific date for the bag but he has said they were sold in the 1970s.

Neil has said his findings have revealed the reality of littering.

He said: “A crisp packet left out of the sun can last for 80 years before it degrades.

“If you drop some litter, it may outlive you."