Benidom

Man found with false teeth after throwing them up in trash can a decade ago

By Judy J. Beasley
Paul Bishop, 63, was stunned after Spanish authorities found the prosthetics in a landfill and returned them to him (Picture: SWNS / PA)

We have all been there. You’ve had a long evening on vacation, everything is getting a little hazy and you’re embarrassing yourself by throwing your guts out. Nice.

For Paul Bishop, that unfortunate mistake of 2011 ended up costing quite a bit – as he threw up his fake teeth in a trash can while doing it.

But the 63-year-old, from Tameside in Greater Manchester, was ‘stunned’ when his dentures were returned to him more than a decade later.

He said he had been drinking all day with friends in Benidorm, Spain, when he threw up outside a bar.


Paul Bishop raises his teeth. See the SWNS story SWLEteeth. A holidaymaker who lost his false teeth vomiting into a bin on a boozy night out in Benidorm was shocked when he returned to the post - 11 years later. Paul Bishop, 63, said he thought it was a
Paul lost his teeth during an all-day drinking session (Picture: SWNS)

He said: ‘It was my mate’s 50th birthday and we had been out drinking since noon.

“It was around 11 p.m. and I hadn’t had anything to eat all day. We had plenty of beer, so I had a pint of cider instead.

“I had half of it left when my mates said we were moving on. I washed it in one but I could feel it coming back up.

“As we were leaving, I noticed that this big green bottle bin had knocked everything over.”


Paul Bishop's crooked teeth. See the SWNS story SWLEteeth. A holidaymaker who lost his false teeth vomiting into a bin on a boozy night out in Benidorm was shocked when he returned to the post - 11 years later. Paul Bishop, 63, said he thought it was a
Paul threw up these false teeth in a bin while on holiday in Benidorm for a friend’s 50th birthday in 2011 (Picture: SWNS)

Envelope in which the teeth have entered. See SWNS story SWLEteeth. A holidaymaker who lost his false teeth vomiting into a bin on a boozy night out in Benidorm was shocked when he returned to the post - 11 years later. Paul Bishop, 63, said he thought it was a
The letter was addressed to ‘Senor Paul’ (Picture: SWNS)

Paul Bishop. See the SWNS story SWLEteeth. A holidaymaker who lost his false teeth vomiting into a bin on a boozy night out in Benidorm was shocked when he returned to the post - 11 years later. Paul Bishop, 63, said he thought it was a
Paul had forgotten all about his lost dentures over a decade ago (Picture: SWNS)

He said he only noticed his best false teeth were missing when the friends reached the next bar – so they quickly returned for them.

Paul added: “One of the guys said, ‘Where are your teeth?

“I realized it must be in the trash. We went back but there were hundreds of bottles in there.

He went back to see the next morning, but the trash can had been emptied. He was forced to spend the rest of the trip walking around without teeth.

“I had taken my Elvis costume and promised my friends that I would sing, so I had to
do it without biting,” he said.

“Everyone thought it was hilarious.”

He spent £600 on a new set of dentures once back in the UK – then quickly forgot about it all.


Paul Bishop with his son Shaun Bishop. See the SWNS story SWLEteeth. A holidaymaker who lost his false teeth vomiting into a bin on a boozy night out in Benidorm was shocked when he returned to the post - 11 years later. Paul Bishop, 63, said he thought it was a
Paul pictured with his son, Shaun Bishop (Picture: SWNS)

Letter received with teeth from the Spanish authorities. See the SWNS story SWLEteeth. A holidaymaker who lost his false teeth vomiting into a bin on a boozy night out in Benidorm was shocked when he returned to the post - 11 years later. Paul Bishop, 63, said he thought it was a
The letter Paul received from the Spanish authorities (Picture: SWNS)

Until this week – when he was confused to see a package from the Spanish authorities arrive in his letterbox in Stalybridge yesterday morning.

There was a letter addressed to ‘Senor Paul’ which revealed that his teeth had been found in a landfill, stored for several years and then DNA tested to discover his identity.

The letter added: “I have great pleasure in returning, and I hope they find you well and I hope you return soon to visit Spain, but be more careful.”

Paul admitted he thought it was a “wind-up” at first.

“I couldn’t believe it,” he said. ‘I was stunned. I changed my address 10 years ago.

“Someone went out of their way to find me. They are in perfect condition and look brand new.

“Someone obviously took the time to scrub them.”

He said they no longer fit, but he was considering exhibiting them at the Ridge Hill Working Men’s Club, of which he is the general manager.

“I’ll keep them,” he said.

“I can’t wear them because they’re twice as big as the ones I have now. I could put them in a little glass container.

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Judy J. Beasley
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