Today in History - February 22: Robbers didn't have enough room for all the cash they stole
The robbers made off with £53 million in banknotes. Kent Police
The largest cash robbery in UK history took place on largest cash robbery in UK history.
A group of robbers kidnapped the manager of the Securitas depot and his family, before tricking their way into the Tonbridge building.
There, the armed thieves tied up the employees at the depot and attempted to load all the cash they could into a truck.
READ MORE: Serial killer sues state for letting him out of prison
The largest cash robbery in UK history took place on February 22, 2006. Kent Police
But the theft was delayed because the thieves could not operate the machinery used to move large pallets of cash.
Eventually a hostage had to operate a power lifter at gunpoint.
The robbers made off with £53 million in banknotes, equivalent to $176 million in today's money.
But they left behind another £154 million simply because they had no way to transport it.
READ MORE: Bunch of grapes knocks TV reporter unconscious
Two suspects in the Securitas robbery have never been caught. Kent Police
Within days, the first of the robbers were arrested by police.
It did not take long before most of the suspects were caught.
Seven people were convicted over the crime, including several MMA fighters who had met at the gym.
Only about £20 million has been recovered, and two suspects remain at large.
In cash value, the Securitas robbery was twice as much as the notorious Brinks-Mat robbery of 1983.
In that heist, a group of robbers got into a warehouse from security firm Brink's-Mat in London with the help of a complicit security guard.
READ MORE: Shock discovery when surgeons cut open plane crash survivor
Police searching cars after the Brink's-Mat robbery. Getty
When they got inside, they instead found three tonnes of pure gold.
The gold was being stored in the warehouse overnight before being shipped to Hong Kong the next day.
What was intended to be a quick smash-and-grab robbery became a complex operation. The robbers had to seek more transport because they couldn't fit everything in their getaway van.
The group's haul of gold, cash, travellers' cheques and precious stones ended up amounting to an estimated $588 million in today's money.
READ MORE: Teen girl's chilling reason for gunning down eight schoolchildren
For more from our Today in History archive, click here
DOWNLOAD THE 9NEWS APP: Stay across all the latest in breaking news, sport, politics and the weather via our news app and get notifications sent straight to your smartphone. Available on the Apple App Store and Google Play.
Share a tip-off, video or photo with us
