Workers at a waste sorting centre in Hoorn have found 46,000 guilders among the rubbish.

It is thought the money comes from the Amsterdam borough council of Zuid and was tucked away in old office furniture which was being stored at former council offices, Nos television reports.

The money was found in four money boxes in an old cupboard which had been thrown away.

The waste sorting centre informed the police.

A spokesman for Zuid borough council told Nos it is difficult to know if the money is theirs as several borough council offices have been merged over the past few years.

‘Zuid is not missing any money,’ the spokesman said. The 46,000 guilders is currently being held in a safe at a storage company. The guilders are worth around €20,000