A man earlier this year discovered a gold treasure worth $800,000 while digging a swimming pool in his garden in France, local officials have said.

The man informed the local authorities after he made the discovery in May, and they allowed him to keep the gold as it did not come from an archeological site, the council in the eastern town of Neuville-sur-Saone said on Wednesday.

He found "five gold bars and many coins" buried in plastic bags, local newspaper Le Progres reported .

Police found the gold had been acquired legally and had been melted down some "15 or 20 years ago" at a nearby refinery, it said.

Because the gold bars had unique numbers that could be traced, police were able to determine that they had not been stolen, the outlet reported.

According to Le Progres , France'

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