GARDAÍ carrying out routine speed checks in Fermoy recovered €40,000 in cash, stashed in wet socks in a field.

Search dogs found the money after a suspect fled the scene of a speed check in recent days.

Fermoy and Mitchelstown Gardaí were operating a speed check on the M8, near Fermoy when they pulled in a driver for speeding.

According to a Garda source, the man bolted from the car while the engine was still running and jumped over a ditch in a haste to escape.

Gardaí reported that the man had something in his hand while fleeing but was apprehended empty-handed after a chase.

Following two searches of the field using special search dogs, gardaí uncovered two dirty, wet socks, stuffed with the cash, which amounted to more than €40,000. 

The man, who appeared in Cork District Court on Monday, was charged with dangerous driving.