Roadworkers in vintage find

ROADWORKERS employed by a Stockport firm were astonished after unearthing a vintage Dinky Toy car wedged inside a gas pipe during a routine camera inspection.

- BY PAUL BRITTON, LUCY JOHN

The tiny toy vehicle is thought to be a replica of a Daimler Scout, a British light reconnaissance car deployed during the Second World War.

According to Cadent, which manages the gas distribution network across the region, Dinky manufactured and sold these models between 1942 and the 1960s - suggesting the discovery could date back approximately 80 years. The miniature motor was uncovered within a gas main in Droylsden, Tameside, as part of an initiative to upgrade antiquated gas infrastructure.

Stockport-based contractor PMCE, working on behalf of Cadent, made the remarkable find.

Shane Mulhern, director of the firm, was operating camera equipment inside the pipe when he spotted the toy.