A plumber proved himself to be a proper ‘diamond geezer’ by sifting through 100 gallons of sewage – to find an engagement ring that had slipped down the toilet.
Sian Robbins, 28, was running a bath when her platinum Tiffany ring – given to her by husband Adam, 34 – slipped off her finger and into a flushing loo.
Horrified Sian desperately tried to recover the ring but could not find it so she called local plumber Dave Scanes to help.
Dave visited Mrs Robbins’ farmhouse five days later and spent a gruelling seven hours manually sifting through waste to find the ring.
He refused to take a single break and his hard work paid off – when he located the dazzling ring in a drain.
Delighted Mrs Robbins, who lives in Bradford on Avon, Wilts., said she burst into tears when Mr Scanes showed her the rescued ring.
She said: “When it went, I was absolutely devastated. Dave went the extra mile. When he found the ring, I couldn’t believe it. I started crying.
“I was absolutely elated. I never would have suspected someone would have gone to such great lengths for a complete stranger.”
Mrs Robbins, who has been married to husband Adam for two years, accidentally dropped the ring in the toilet as she took it off before having a bath.
She called drain company Dyno Rod, which sent plumber Dave armed with a CCTV drainage camera.
Dave removed 100 gallons of dirty water from the drains upstream of the manhole outside the home, battling with silt and rain.
He decided not to use pumping equipment for fear it could damage the ring and refused to take a break despite being offered tea and coffee by Mrs Robbins.
The plumber, who has since been named ‘Diamond Dave’ by colleagues, said he was delighted he had been able to find the ring.
Dave, 45, said: “I had been searching for the ring for over seven hours. I was absolutely soaked through as it was raining but I was determined to find the ring for Mrs Robbins as I knew how much it meant to her.
“I was overwhelmed when I saw the ring in the manhole. The proudest moment was when I gave the ring back to her.
“The look on her face was cracking, which made it all worthwhile for me. I just wish someone had a camera behind me when I gave it back, so I could capture that look.
“Everything I had gone through was worth it.”
Mrs Robbins added that she was so grateful to Dave for his efforts.
“It was really nice to get the ring back and I just can’t thank Diamond Dave enough because of the lengths he went to.
“Whenever I look at the ring now, I’ll always be reminded of his kindness and hard work.”
