LITTER champ Wayne Dixon – who travels the coastline of Great Britain picking up rubbish – believes sifting junk may have finally paid off.
They say where there’s muck there’s brass – and that could certainly be true for the 47-year-old who thinks he may have found a chunk of ultra rare and valuable sperm whale vomit.
Mr Dixon, from Witton, in Blackburn, made the discovery on a litter pick in Dungeness on the Kent coast.
He has now sent it to a top expert in Tunbridge Wells to get it tested — and believes it could be worth thousands of pounds.
Ambergris, also known as whale vomit, is used by perfumers to make scent last longer and can fetch very high prices because of its rarity.
Mr Dixon, who over three years has trekked 3,600 miles and collected 50 tonnes of rubbish to clean up Britain’s coastline, with his Inuit dog Koda, said: “It’s not been confirmed yet but I’ve been given a number for a top specialist in the UK in Tunbridge Wells, an hour’s drive from where I am now.
“I made the discovery on Monday evening in Dungeness while doing a litter pick.”
His discovery follows that of couple Gary and Angela Williams, who stumbled across a valuable piece of ambergris worth £50,000 while walking along Middleton Sands beach near Morecambe Bay in 2016.
Mr Dixon said: “I’ve definitely got a good idea that this is sperm whale vomit.
“It has the right colour and looks organic and has got the right smell to it.
“It would potentially be worth a lot of money, thousands if pounds, if it is sperm whale vomit.
“I’m looking forward to hearing back from the specialist.”
Mr Dixon’s litter picks have seen him become an ambassador for Keep Britain Tidy.
He was inspired to do the litter picks by the example of his late father John, who devised historical rambles around Blackburn and Ribble Valley.
Mr Dixon started his walk in Fleetwood and is currently in Dungeness. He has a further 3,400 miles to go and will finish the walk back in Fleetwood.
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