A builder discovered over PS47,000 in cash hidden inside the walls of his new house.

Tono Pineiro, a builder in Lugo in northwestern Spain, was renovating a home he had purchased when he discovered the hidden money in Nesquik cans.

The Mirror reports that he found six cans with cash worth approximately PS47,500.

The cash was Spanish pesetas, which ceased to be legal tender in 2002 when the euro, the monetary unit of the European Union, was adopted as the country's currency.

When Mr. Pineiro went to cash in his money, he found that some notes were too old for him to exchange into euros.

The man was told that he had missed the deadline as the Bank of Spain stopped accepting the older notes, so they turned out to be worthless.

But Mr. Piñeiro still managed to get himself £30,000 after trading in some more up-to-date currency from his finding.

Speaking of what he used the money for, he said: "It paid for a new roof.

"I guess they kept these containers to avoid humidity. The last ones were somewhat damaged, but the others weren't - they were ironed, it was incredible."

Toño explained the home had been abandoned for four decades prior to the discovery, with the builder snapping up the property when he saw it listed on Facebook.

He added he plans to keep some of the out-of-date cash as a souvenir.