Mystery 拢2k cash bundles left on pavements in Blackhall Colliery

Image source, Durham Police

Image caption, Residents have been praised for their honesty in handing in the findings of cash

Bundles of cash have been mysteriously turning up on the streets of a County Durham village.

Since 2014 there have been 12 findings of money in Blackhall Colliery, usually amounting to 拢2,000 in 拢20 notes.

On all occasions they have been left in plain sight and often on pavements in different locations.

Durham Police has been unable to determine where the money has come from, but has praised residents for their honesty in handing it in.

Officers have interviewed numerous people and organisations in the village as well as carrying out checks with the local bank, and tested the cash for fingerprints.

Blackhall Colliery

  • Has a population of 4,785, according to the 2011 census
  • Formerly an extensive mining community, its last pit closed in 1981
  • Nowadays many people current employed there work in call centres in nearby Hartlepool and Peterlee
  • Its beach featured in the closing scenes of the 1971 Michael Caine film Get Carter

Det Con John Forster said that the latest find, on Monday, was the fourth handed in this year.

He said: "This could be the work of a Good Samaritan, but we would like to thank the residents who have shown incredible community spirit by handing the money in.

"The circumstances remain a mystery, so we would welcome any information that will help us get to the bottom of these random incidents."