Where the did they buy a drill bit that size, how big was the drill it fitted into, how did they get that down there and did it run off of a standard 13A plug socket?

I find it funny that they have only managed to contact the owners of 6 of the 72 boxes broken into.

Apparently they used a wheelie bin to transport the kit in!

From what I have seen it looks more like a coring bit. Often used to make holes for putting cables and air vents through concrete usually diamond tipped.

Something like this: http://echopkins.com/products/?by=cat&id=28&reset=1

Not implying this was the one used just using it to show what I am talking about

Nice bit of kit. I hope they didn't get it from the local tool hire shop!

from the pic in the paper there doesnt seem to be any re-bar in the concrete, a strange omission for a vault At work
At home

"I can't always believe facts I read on the web" - Charles Dickens

winner by default of the tractor vs caravan race

I would suspect they knew that, one hell of a punt if they didn't, unless another wheelie bin had a thermionic lance, not easy to obtain on an Easter weekend.  my PC is slightly to the right of Genghis
2012 HSE SD4 In Orkney Grey now gone, best car ever.

A diamond core drill will go straight through rebar no problem, we have one and it's not a problem for it

loaned from the man with the red car

i can order my bathroom extractor fan when you come to leeds and drill my hole  Former Mod/Member, with the most post & Chicken George Arch nemesis

I looked for what sort of drill it was the other day and this was the result:


Hilti DD350

https://www.hilti.co.uk/diamond-coring-and...ools/r3767

Certainly not your average bit of kit

found this. but even they had found rebar they were hardly concerned about looking after the core drill, just brought a few spares.
tip for police check ebay for a barely used core drill - it will lead you right to the crooks

Drilling Reinforced Concrete

Drilling action is reinforced concrete is quiet different. Most users find it more difficult, takes longer, and cost more to drill reinforced concrete than any other concrete or allied material. In Reinforced Concrete, the steel bar is cut by diamond crystals n a “machining” mode rather than by fracturing. You can usually see drilling swarf that contains particles of steel that are shaped like “curls”. Drilling reinforced concrete puts a very high strain of diamond core bit cutting surface. When drilling through the reinforced bar, the drilling surface of the diamond bit encounters a very tough and relatively ductile material. However as the diamond bit rotates the same section of cutting surface encounters the relatively brittle concrete. This causes loading and unloading of diamond bond material and diamond crystals.

Diamond core bit life and drilling speed is considerably reduced when drilling this material. On many applications diamond core bit life can be reduced by as much as 50% depending on steel amount and depth in concrete.

When a diamond core bit reaches and hits steel, you will often notice sparks coming from the drilling zone. This is an indicator that you have hit reinforced steel. The operator should reduce drilling speed and decrease coolant flow.

When the diamond bit is rotating at 500RPM each segment of diamond core bit penetrates rebar 1000 times per minute or 17 times per second. Resulting in more rapid breakdown of diamond bond matrix. What follows is increased diamond pullouts and possible premature fracture of diamond in bond matrix. At work
At home

"I can't always believe facts I read on the web" - Charles Dickens

winner by default of the tractor vs caravan race

Right, the diamonds are the other side of the wall so a packet of superglue ain't any good if you can't get the diamonds to glue them on the corer  my PC is slightly to the right of Genghis
2012 HSE SD4 In Orkney Grey now gone, best car ever.

So police are looking for a very thin bank robber (probably not female) with a screwfix account who doesn't mind working over Easter weekend so probably not a Christian( Easter Sunday), Jewish (Sabbath on the Saturday) or Muslim (Friday prayers). What does that leave apart from a UKIP voter? 3 x FL1 2 manual + 1 auto
5 x FL2 4 manual + 1 auto
Now Discovery Sport P250 MHEV SE

There was talk earlier that the kit was stolen from a building site in London about 1 month proir to the robbery - they knew what they were after.

Apparently it was a ploy in order for the Government to recover some compromising photos stored in a particular box..................

Don't forget the big underground fire in London the week before was a setup by the same gang to make sure the locals were used to power cuts and alarms going off with nothing happening...