Dutch police battled for over an hour to clear traffic on a main motorway after a cash-in-transit van lost a money trunk, showering the road with 10, 20 and 50-euro bills.
The unexpected windfall, causing passing motorists to slam on the brakes, happened at around 10.15am on the A2 route near the town of Elsloo in the southern Limburg province.
"The back door of a cash-in-transit van opened and a money trunk fell out on the road. Another car then drove over it, showering the road in 10, 20 and 50-euro bills," said police spokesman Bert van Klaweren.
"A whole bunch of motorists then decided they had to 'participate' in keeping the A2 clean by picking up the 'little papers'," Van Klaweren said.
Dutch public television NOS showed footage of motorists scooping up bills and running away.
Van Klaweren said police finally cordoned off the road to help with clean-up operations, adding it took more than an hour to restore traffic flow to normal.
Some people later brought back money, while others disappeared with it, Van Klaweren said.
The amount of missing money has not been divulged.
Public spirited road cleaning
Public spirited road cleaning
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