Builders discovered £7.5million gold haul inside wall – however one factor stopped them protecting it
A group of builders were left shocked when they stumbled upon £7.5 million worth of gold coins and ingot while working on a routine job, although they weren’t allowed to keep the find
What would you do if you found a haul like this? (Image: Police Dendermonde)
A group of builders who discovered a £7.5 million stash of hidden gold while working on a cellar have admitted they considered taking the remarkable loop.
The Belgian tradies were working on an old wine cellar at a former brewery in Gent when they discovered the trove of golden coins and bars that had been inserted into a cellar wall while laying pipes for a new sewer system in the property.
18-year-old Kobe, who was one of the builders who made the discovery, told Belgian news channel VRT: “At first I thought they were €1 coins. Our first reaction was actually disbelief, amazement. We certainly hadn’t expected to find gold.”
The builders were left in disbelief (Image: Police Dendermonde)
Site manager Mario described the moment that his team realised what they had found. According to the builder, his colleagues shouted: “We’ve found gold”.
He said: “I went to have a look and picked up the gold.We kept digging up more coins and bars. Only then did it really sink in what we’d found. It was a strange feeling.”
Asked whether they had considered taking the stash for themselves, Mario said: “There are so many coins and bars; it would be almost impossible. Besides, that would be theft.”
The £7.5million stash of gold (Image: Police Dendermonde)
Teenager Kobe agreed that they had considered it, saying: “Of course, we did briefly consider keeping it. But it’s simply too much money. If it were a few thousand euros, it might be feasible. But €9million – you simply can’t keep that hidden.”
The crew alerted police and CAW Oost-Vlaanderen, the charity that owns the building. Officers are investigating the gold’s origins, with many bars reportedly dated between 1957 and 1961.
Charity director Geert Hillaert said: “For all we know, this discovery is the result of some kind of fraudulent activity and the gold has been hidden there.”
The discovery was made in Gent, Belgium(Image: Getty Images)
If the charity receives the gold, he said it would be “a very welcome gift”, adding: “We will create additional capacity for our target group across the whole of East Flanders.”
Kobe hopes the workers will receive a finder’s fee, while Mario said: “After 33 years in the construction industry, this is the first time I’ve experienced anything like this.
“I don’t think it will ever happen again.”
Warning gold hunters to stay away from the dangerous site, police chief Patrick Feys said: “After the treasure was found, the whole site was turned upside down. We’re certain there’s nothing left to find.”
