Police appeal for witnesses following theft of £15,000 in £1 coins stored in whisky bottles

Burglars have stolen £15,000 in pound coins, which police believe were stored in large whisky bottles, from a house in Greater Manchester. The money, which police said weighed as much as "two average-sized women or almost 10 cases of wine", was taken during a raid in Ashton-under-Lyne.

A Range Rover, designer handbags and jewellery were also taken. Police believe three homes, which were burgled on 1 January, were "targeted specifically for the high value items". A one pound coin weighs 0.02lbs (9.5g), which brings the weight of 15,000 to about 22st 6lbs (142.5kg). Saving one £1 coin a day, it would take a person about 41 years to save the amount.



Whisky bottles used for savings usually have a capacity of 4.5 litres, which, using the Royal Mint's measurements and allowing for space between coins, means about £2,500 in pound coins could be stored inside. A police spokeswoman said it was believed the coins had been collected in whisky bottles but it was not known how many were taken. PC Dinesh Mistry from GMP’s Tameside Division said: “It is hard to miss £15,000 in pound coins so we believe someone must know something about this crime.

“To put it in perspective, £15,000 in pound coins weighs the same as two average sized women, or almost ten cases of wine. We have spoken to local businesses and asked them to keep an eye out for a large number of pound coins, but we are also appealing to the public to let us know if they witness anything they think is suspicious. We have increased patrolling in the area, and we are encouraging anyone who may have seen anything suspicious in the area at the time to contact police."