Safe-cracking shock revealed by workers
Workers removing a safe from an old Black Country post office were left shocked when they uncovered an historic attempt to steal its contents.
Workers removing a safe from an old Black Country post office were left shocked when they uncovered an historic attempt to steal its contents.
Drill marks on the side of the safe at the former post office in Holyhead Road, Wednesbury, give away the failed bid to get inside.
Two safes dating back to 1883 were ripped out of the building yesterday as part of a revamp of the 19th century post office.
They were removed due to the £30,000 lottery-funded refurbishment and will now be replaced by toilets and a reception area.
Chairman of community group Wednesbury 2000, John Allen from Hydes Road in Wednesbury, has an office at the building.
He was on hand to see the historic moment and could not believe that the safe had once been targeted.
"It is just such a shock to be honest with you, I could not believe it when I saw the drill marks," he said.
"If you look at it you can see that they could not use the sledgehammer to get through onto the piece they have drilled, but they were almost there and if had a little more room, probably would have gained access to the money.
"This is quite an important occasion for the town and I am glad to be here to see it taking place because these safes were the mainstay of the building."
Mr Allen said he is hoping to track down police records about the attempts to crack the safe.
He said: "The first we knew about the robbery attempt was when we saw the marks. It obviously happened before my time.
"I am hoping that I will be able to track down old police records to find out more about what happened."
The post office was once the central point for postal deliveries in the town. It is used as a community hub and is home to a film and music production businesses, a Staffordshire Bull Terrier Museum and Oak Community Church.
Yesterday's removal operation was carried out by Wolverhampton firm SafeTech who are based in Fordhouses, with five men working for around three hours on taking them out of the building.
Firm partner Tony Harley, aged 46, said: "It has not been a difficult operation but just a bit of a technical one.
"After we have finished they will probably just be sold for scrap, but they weigh about a ton and a half so they are well built."
