If it happens to you, the first thing you’ll need to do is turn off the tap as fast as you can – once it’s gone through your house’s system, it’ll likely be gone forever.

From here, you can call a plumber or try going it alone to remove the item from your basin’s u-bend. To do this, you’ll need to clear some space under the sink and put a bucket underneath.

Unscrew the pipe carefully at the u-bend’s trap and expect some water to come out.

You might have to clean out the trap to see what’s in there, which hopefully includes your valuable item.

Found it? Great! You can put the pipe back together.

Be careful not to cross thread the screws when replacing the trap, and make sure the O-rings are in good condition to prevent leaks.

I’d also recommend not overtightening the nuts and testing for leaks. If it’s not there, the next step would be to insert a camera into the drain to try and locate the item.

That’s definitely a job for the professionals though.