A good Samaritan who handed in £2,110 of cash she found in the street says police told her she could keep the money if it was not claimed after a month – only to change the rules.

Postwoman Irma Lisauskaite found the money while on her round in Cirrus Crescent, Gravesend.

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After reporting it to her line manager, it was handed in at North Kent Police Station in Northfleet.

The 38-year-old says she was initially told she could keep the money if it remained unclaimed after 28 days – but then police held onto it for a further month before telling her the rules on claiming lost cash had changed.

"Whilst on my duty I found what looked like a pencil case and there was £2,110 cash without any documents or IDs in it," said Irma, from Swanscombe.

"I reported it to my then line manager as there is a protocol for these kind of things, and the next day she handed the money to our local police station in Northfleet.

"They took all mine and her details and told us if nobody claimed it in 28 days, that money would be rightfully mine.

"Well, we haven’t heard anything from them in those 28 days, and when I enquired I was told to wait another 28 days.

"I popped into the police station myself a few times and was told the same."

After two months Irma went to the police station hoping for some news but was disheartened by the response.

She added: "I was told the money has not been claimed and because of a sudden regulation change, anything reported over £1,000 can’t be claimed.

"I was told the money will go into charity, but I wasn’t told which one, how much, or under what regulation."

Mum-of-one Irma says she was offered the chance to complain but decided against it, ultimately deciding she had done the right thing.

"I was told the money will go into charity, but I wasn’t told which one, how much, or under what regulation."

Nevertheless she was disappointed not to be even thanked after the incident, which happened in October last year.

It was only in April this year, when she read of a woman in Derbyshire being thanked for handing in money, that she questioned her own experience again.

In that instance, a woman was given cash and chocolates after finding £3,800 in an envelope outside Morrisons in Swadlincote, near Derby.

"This recent story reminded me and I thought it’s quite unfair," added Irma. "It’s been a while now, but it would be interesting to know where that money went in the end."

Kent Police confirmed that £2,100 in cash was found by a member of the public in Cirrus Crescent, Gravesend, on October 28 last year, and then handed in at North Kent Police Station.

A statement from police added: "Taking in lost property is not a statutory duty for Kent Police. For items which are handed in the force operates a 28-day retention period, after which items are disposed of or can sometimes be reclaimed. Found items can sometimes not be reclaimed if they are believed to be harmful, or could be linked to crime, for example a large sum of cash, or a weapon.

"Only the finder or original (and legal) owner is able to reclaim found items."

Kent Police’s Director of Support Services, Mark Gilmartin, added: "In this instance the person who handed in the money was different to the person who said they had found it and who has made a request to claim it.

"It would appear that the correct procedure concerning handed in items may not have been explained to them and we would like to apologise for any misunderstanding."

Police say cash handed in and not returned to the finder or legal owner goes to the Kent Police Property fund – in line with funds raised through the sale of other property - and donations from the fund go to charities that benefit Kent residents.

What's the law on finding lost cash?

As they used to say back in the playground, 'finders keepers, losers weepers', or as you might have heard later in life 'possession is nine-tenths of the law'.

But if common parlance surrounding lost cash is swayed towards the finder, that doesn't mean the law is.

So if you're lucky enough to stumble on a tenner on the pavement – and it's not glued down or tied to a string – what should you do?

Unfortunately, there is indeed a law surrounding keeping money found in public, known as ‘theft by finding’, which means if you pick up lost cash and don’t attempt to find its owner – for example by handing it to shop staff, if in a shop, or to the police – you’re guilty of theft.

For smaller amounts of cash, it's probably safe to assume you can count yourself lucky, as it's less likely the owner would be looking for it and therefore less likely they'd be found.

Nevertheless, if you're sticking to the letter of the law, it's best to take it to the police station.