Cinema destroyed bank cards and license

(From England) I left my wallet in a popular chain of cinema on Friday night. I realised it was missing on Sunday and called their customer service, only to find out they no longer operate phone lines. As I have a driving test in a few days and need my licence, I started searching for another way to contact them and found a number for the shopping centre’s building customer service.

I explained the urgency and why I couldn’t contact the cinema directly - the person I spoke was super helpful and contacted the cinema, who confirmed they had my wallet and the contents inside. They assured me it had been placed in their safe for collection (no mention of when to get it) However, when I went to pick it up today (Wednesday), I was told that all my identifiable data—bank cards, driving licence, etc.—had been destroyed.

I was frustrated and pointed out that I hadn’t been informed of this when I called. They argued it was due to GDPR regulations, but if I had known, I would have made arrangements to collect it immediately.

The reason I didn’t go sooner was that the cinema is quite a journey from me, and we had only gone there because we received a gift card. I waited until Wednesday when I had the time to travel.

I’m unsure what the legal stance is on this or if it’s common business practice. It’s frustrating because I’ve now lost money on my driving test and having to purchase an additional license. Any clarification would be appreciated.

Update: just to add, I was never handed back the destroyed license or bank card. Just told the manager had destroyed them so they were gone. The only thing handed back was the wallet and a GHIC card. I understand the that the bank cards are destroyed due to banks policy. I’m more upset about the drivers license and the lack of evidence