Million pound drop in West Swindon as coin carrying lorry bursts with cash

CASH was strewn across a West Swindon road this afternoon after a security lorry carrying more than £1 million was involved in an accident.

The crash happened on the southbound Mead Way at the Renault roundabout at just after 1.30pm.

The Loomis lorry had to suddenly brake to avoid a collision causing heavy cash trollies to break through the front wall of its trailer.

No other vehicle was involved in the accident but the northbound Mead Way had to be closed by police whilst the money was cleared up causing jams across West Swindon.

One onlooker, a site manager at the new Aldi building site across the road, said: “There was money everywhere. There were at least 200 bags in the trolley that fell into the road; six or seven had broken open and each one was carrying £500 in coins.

“The driver was pretty shook up but the police were on the scene very quickly. Apparently he had to brake because another car came around the roundabout without indicating. It made a huge noise.

“I’ve never seen so many coins in my life. It was like a scene from a film.”

A unit of armed officers with pistols on their hips kept a watchful eye on the scene as vehicles passed by heading south.

Once police officers and community police support officers from the West Swindon Neighbourhood Police Team had helped security staff clear up the cash bags that had spilled from the lorry, the bagged coins remaining in the vehicle  transferred to another Loomis vehicle which had pulled up alongside about 2.30pm.

Sergeant Gemma Vinton, of West Swindon Neighbourhood Police Team, said: “Our role here has been mainly to assist with traffic control and trying to get to the bottom of what’s happened. There are a number of armed officers in attendance because of the amounts of money involved.

“My understanding is no other vehicles have been involved in the incident but that the vehicle did spill some of its load into the road but we can’t speculate as to how much money was involved."

Mead Way was finally reopened at 6.30pm.

Richard Wintle of Calyx delivers the money shots. Top, West Swindon neighbourhood police team manager PC Steve Yeates, keeps the money safe. Below, Loomis staff clearing up the accident by transferring the cash pile from the damaged vehicle