A WOKING man renting a house in America was poking around the basement when he was surprised to find some fine clothes stuffed in a rubbish bag.

A tailor’s tag listing the client’s name on one of the suits startled him even more – “Paul Newman – January 1986”.

Illustrator Peter Gamlen, 23, of Hook Heath, said he believes the suit belonged to the late actor, director, entrepreneur and racing driver.

The suit was made by the tailor Henry Stewart.

So Peter researched Stewart and found an obituary in the New York Times from 1993 that listed Newman among his clients.

Peter, speaking from New Haven, Conneticut, said he began to shout and run around when he made the discovery.

“Guess where my legs are?” he asked one of his friends.

“They’re in Paul Newman’s trousers! The suit is incredibly well made. The whole cut of this is absolutely beautiful.”

Peter also found a photo of Newman in the pocket of a sports jacket he had also found.

In it the heart-throb actor was wearing sunglasses, standing with three other men.

Newman, who died in 2008, lived in Westport, about 30 miles from New Haven.

Peter, who said The Hustler starring Newman is one of his favourite films, went to work in the US about a year ago.

Newman’s long-time friend, AE Hotchner, said that he could not imagine how New-man’s clothes would end up in New Haven, although he did not rule out the possibility.

He added: “Paul was notoriously under-dressed.

“He owned a tuxedo but he burned it so he would have an excuse not to attend any more black tie events.”