It was like a scene in a novel; an astonishing discovery which set Spalding and the rest of Lincolnshire talking.
Around £60,000 in bank notes – some charred after being burnt – was found floating in a Spalding waterway.
Yet six months on and police are still none the wiser about the rightful owner and how the loot came to be dumped. However, they say the case is still live and they have a number of lines of inquiry.
The cash was spotted in South Drove Drain by a member of the public walking their dog on October 25 last year.
South Holland district councillor Robert Clark was interviewed by BBC Look North at the time of the discovery and praised the honesty of the person who alerted police.
This week he told The Voice: “It doesn’t take a great deal of thought to presume that if there were no suspicious circumstances surrounding the money, it would have been claimed by now.”
The money was retrieved from the drain by police officers.
A large amount had been damaged but a good quantity of notes were in fair condition.
Police were granted a seizure order by magistrates to carry out an investigation into the haul’s origins.
DC Steve Hull, of Spalding CID, said at the time: “It isn’t every day that an amount of money like this is found and somebody must have information that will help the police trace the lawful owner.”
The money will remain with the police until the investigation is complete. If the money cannot be reunited with a legitimate owner then it will become the subject of a further court forfeiture order.
A spokesman for Lincolnshire Police told The Voice: “A number of lines of enquiry are still being followed.
“There’s no court judgement about the future of the cash at this stage as all enquiries need to be exhausted first.”
Anyone with information that might help police is asked to contact them on 101, quoting incident number 154 of 25/10/13.
Police say that evidence of ownership will be required by anyone with a claim.
