Engineers cannot ‘imagine their eyes’ after digging up highway and sending digicam down previous pipe
An amazing item has been found nestled inside a gas pipe during a camera survey in Tameside – and it’s believed to date from the Second World War, leaving gas engineers stunned
Road workers in Tameside were left gobsmacked after unearthing an old die-cast Dinky Toy car nestled inside a gas pipe during a camera survey. The miniature toy vehicle is thought to be a model of a Daimler Scout, a British light reconnaissance vehicle reportedly used during the Second World War.
According to Cadent, the firm that operates the gas distribution network in the area, these toys were produced and sold by Dinky from 1942 to the 1960s – suggesting the discovery could be roughly 80 years old.
The toy car was discovered inside a gas main in Droylsden during a project to replace some of the oldest gas mains in the area.
The find was made by Stockport-based gas main-laying company PMCE, who were working as contractors for Cadent. Shane Mulhern, the company’s director, was operating the camera equipment inside the pipe at the time.
A photo of the toy car in its original location has now been shared.
He said: “Before we insert the new polyethylene gas pipes into the old iron mains, we camera them, to find the services – the narrower pipes which run off the bigger gas main into homes – and look for any possible obstructions along the way.
“I was pushing the camera along the main in Canberra Street, Droylsden, when I came across what looked like a toy car. I couldn’t believe my eyes.
“Later, when we ‘broke out’ a section of the main, I was able to retrieve it.
“I’ve looked it up and it’s a toy that was made by Dinky up to the 1960s, so the dates match with when this old cast iron pipe was originally put in.
“The way gas pipes were installed in those days was very different to how we do it now and we do come across foreign objects from time to time.”
Mr Mulhern revealed he’s previously discovered a pair of trousers lodged inside an old gas pipe, and even stumbled upon a copy of the Manchester Guardian newspaper from February 1957, reports the Manchester Evening News.
Cadent reported that other gas engineers have uncovered footballs, oil cans, boots, wooden planks and even a golf club jammed within ageing pipework.
The firm noted that over 83 per cent of all households are linked to the local gas distribution network across the UK – the infrastructure that carries gas throughout the nation to warm homes, schools, hospitals and other premises.
They suspect the toy motor was possibly dropped into the pipeline by youngsters at play during the original installation in the 1960s.
The miniature vehicle was unlikely to have caused any significant disruption to gas flow through the network, Cadent confirmed.
In April, Cadent unveiled a £75 million scheme to upgrade approximately 385km of its North West pipeline infrastructure over the coming 12 months through to March 2026.
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