15/12/2009 - Worker repays mistaken £1m payment
An honest supermarket worker has given back more than £1 million, which he was mistakenly paid, within hours of realising the error.
Stephen Foster, who works for the Co-op, was somewhat shocked when his pay slip showed he had been paid £1.4 million by the firm. When he checked his balance at a cash point, he was amazed to see his balance was more than £800,000, after the deduction of taxes.
He was awarded with a crate of Budweiser for being up front with his bosses immediately. Mr Foster, who works in Birtley, Gateshead, at the regional distribution centre, did not touch a penny of the money. Because of restrictions in his contract with the Co-op, the supermarket worker, of Gateshead, is not allowed to talk about the mistaken lucrative pay day.
A friend said: "I heard about it through another friend and had a chat with Stephen who showed me the pay-slip.
"You could see all the deductions on it for tax and things. You'd think the temptation to leave the country would cross your mind. It's quite a thing.
A spokesman for the Co-operative said: "We were surprised and concerned about our mistake but not by Stephen's exemplary behaviour, which is typical of him. Coming as it does just before Christmas, it's the kind of act that renews your faith in human nature."
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