Thieves steal more than £10,000 worth of loose change weighing 550lbs

Thieves broke into a house and stole more than £10,000 worth of loose change weighing an estimated quarter of a ton. Victim John Benzie, 64, had spent around 20 years collecting loose change in dozens of gallon bottles scattered around his house.

Burglars broke in on Friday evening and stole the lot. Nothing else was taken in the raid. It’s believed the haul weighed as much as 550lbs. John, who runs the Victoria Hotel in Forres, Moray, lost his savings from his home nearby.



His sister Marlene Ross, who works with him at the hotel, said: “He is a bit of a hoarder and had collected the money over around 15 to 20 years. I can’t begin to guess how many bottles there were. There were dozens and most of them were full. There would have been thousands of pounds. If he went to the shop for a paper or some bread and broke a note, he would put whatever was left in the bottles.”

Police said the crime took place on a busy street and was most unusual for Forres. They asked local banks and businesses to report anyone trying to change large amounts of coins. Officers also want to trace a man, and a light-coloured four-door car, seen in the area around the time of the break-in.