A student who found £1,000 inside a pair of trainers she bought on eBay stunned the seller - by returning the cash within half-an-hour.

Student Ella Gilman, 19, was shocked when she found the cash stuffed in an envelope in one of the shoes.

Straight away honest Ella, who studies at Manchester Metropolitan University, got in touch with the woman she bought the trainers from 260 miles away in Brighton, East Sussex.

Previous owner Laura Hazeldine was stunned when Ella contacted her to let her know she had made the mistake.

Ella Gilman who found £1,000 stuffed inside a pair of trainers she bought on eBay stunned the seller by giving it back

After requesting her bank details, Ella paid the cash into her bank, 25 minutes later.

Laura said she wanted to publicly thank her and added that the kind deed has restored her faith in humanity.

Laura had saved the cash, but didn't get round to putting it in the bank after her local branch closed.

Instead, she hid it in her house for safe-keeping - then forgot where she had left it.

Things took an interesting turn when she decided to sell a pair of her teenage daughter's trainers and sent the footwear - and the money - to Ella in Manchester.

Laura said: 'I hid the money in the house and I was convinced I'd lost it.

'She had the money in my account within 25 minutes of speaking to me. I am just absolutely blown away.

Laura Hazeldine from Brighton, East Sussex, who thought she had lost her life savings after selling her daughter's trainers on eBay Copy to caption PMS transfer info

'It means so much more to me than just returning the money.

'I refunded her the money for the trainers and I'm sending her some vouchers too.

'I want to figure out a way to thank her and I'm hoping there's a festival or restaurant which will be able to do something nice for her.

'If I was wealthy, I'd do more for her. I'm going to contact her university because people should know what a genuine person she is. She's one in a million.

'I don't think many other people would have contacted me to say they had found £1,000 in a trainer. She even sent me a photo of the bank receipt.

Laura told the buyer she had been 'in a state' because she had misplaced the cash she had saved

'Possibly an angel'. Miss Hazeldine praised Ella Gilman online after she returned her money

'Her honesty and integrity have blown me away.

'She's really inspired people and the reaction has been so positive.'

Ella said: 'My reaction when I saw the money was shock. I opened the shoes and found an envelope stuffed in the shoe, thinking she had just stuffed the shoe to keep them from creasing.

'I thought, if I had lost that substantial amount of money, I would hope someone would return it to me also.

'I was glad I had returned the money, to see how grateful Laura was and how upset she was without the money.

'I was also really surprised that Laura refunded me the money for the shoes.'