Man almost passes out after wife lights fire below £18,000 he stashed in chimney

If you thought you were having a bad day, spare a thought for this poor bloke whose £18,000 life savings went up in flames in a blink-of-an-eye cock up.

The unidentified Italian man had hatched a plan to keep his precious government-issued bond savings safe in the event his apartment in Rome was robbed, but it's fair to say it all ended exactly the way you'd think.

The bloke, who lives in Rome, explained he opted to stash the cash deep in the chimney - which I have to admit already sounded like a disaster waiting to happen.

Apparently, the fireplace was rarely used and he always moved the stash in time for the winter months.

Speaking to Il Messaggero newspaper, the man explained: "I thought it would be a safe place where thieves would never think of looking. My wife didn’t know I’d hidden them there."

The stash was worth a staggering £18,000, but having failed to alert his wife to the unusual hiding place, things quickly went t*ts up when she unwittingly decided to light a fire.

"The fireplace was rarely used and the bonds had been hidden there for some time," he said.

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"Each year, before we use the fire during the winter, I used to move them. This time I didn’t manage to do it in time."

The distraught man admitted he 'nearly passed out' when the money went up in smoke.

All may not be lost, though.

The man told local media that after getting advice from his brother who works in the post office, he hopes some of the bonds could be reissued if he finds the original serial numbers on the documents.

"I contacted my brother who works at the post office and he told me that they can be recovered," he said.

Last year, an elderly woman 'lost everything' after a stray firework ripped through her home.

Pauline Perry, 75, was at her home in Norris Green, Liverpool, alone on bonfire night when, unbeknown to her, a firework landed in her back garden.

Pauline was sitting in her living room when the stray firework caused her rattan furniture to catch fire in her garden.

The heat from the growing fire caused her patio door to 'pop', bringing Pauline's attention to the blaze outside.

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In a bid to move the furniture away from the house, Pauline opened her doors, causing the fire to shoot through her living room and destroy the downstairs of her home.

Neighbour Steve Finlay, who took Pauline in after the fire services boarded up her home, said she'd not spotted the growing fire as her curtains had been closed at the time.

He explained: "After the fire ripped through the living room, the neighbours spotted the flames and ran over to get Pauline out of the house and help."

Four fire engines attended the scene after being alerted about the fire and were able to get it under control.