Sign up to our newsletter for the latest County Durham news Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email

Detectives have been left stumped after honest villagers repeatedly handed in cash bundles of £2,000 found on their streets.

Villagers of Blackhall Colliery in County Durham have been praised by the police for handing in 12 cash bundles left in the street over five years.

The unusual discoveries have been made since 2014, including four this year, with the latest find taking place on Monday morning.

The money is almost always comprised of £2,000, always found in a bundle of £20 notes and always left in plain sight, although in different locations throughout the village.

The motive for leaving the money is unknown, with some speculation that it could be a generous Good Samaritan.

Detective Constable John Forster, of Peterlee CID , said the team had interviewed numerous people and organisations in the village as well as carrying out checks with the local bank and post office and even tested for fingerprints, but the circumstances surrounding the bundles of money remain a mystery.

He said: “These bundles are always left in plain sight such as on pavements and discovered by random members of the public who have handed them in.

“This is the fourth bundle handed in this year.

“This could be the work of a Good Samaritan but we would like to thank the residents who have shown incredible community spirit by handing the money in.

“The circumstances remain a mystery so we would welcome any information that will help us get to the bottom of these random incidents.”

If you have any information call 101 and ask to speak to DC Forster of Durham Constabulary.