50-year-old crisp packet found remarkably well-preserved in Sheffield

The remarkably well-preserved pack of Golden Wonder crisps was unearthed during a pick at Lees Hall Orchard in Gleadless Valley this week.

A bottle of Fairy washing-up liquid, a packet of peas costing one pence and a bag of Everton mints were among the other vintage discoveries at the spot.

As well as offering a portal into the past, they show just how long plastic waste takes to decompose and the harm it is causing our planet.

The crisp packet, produced before the switch to decimal currency, features a competition with a closing date of July 1969.

The prizes, which include a Teasmade and a Ford Cortina with a caravan, have arguably dated worse than the packet itself.

Iren Wadsworth, founder of the popular Sheffield Litter Pickers Facebook page, said: "February 15, 1971 was Decimal Day. A little while before that it seems, someone dumped some litter at Lees Hall Orchard, Gleadless Valley which we unearthed today.

"The competition closing date on the crisps is July 1969 when I was one year old and, 50 years on, I do not look anywhere near as pristine as these plastic finds."

The discovery has prompted much discussion.

Christine Stark said: "Just shows items don't break down quickly."

Mark Parkin wrote: "If only we had those kind of prices now. We could all live like kings."

And David Holland commented: "Litter picking archaeology - brilliant finds."