Classified Files sent to Metal Ornaments Company
 

Torygraph: MoD mistakenly sends man top secret files

Confidential Ministry of Defence documents, including drawings of submarines and blueprints of military buildings, were mistakenly sent to a factory in Derbyshire, the firm's owner said yesterday.

The 12 boxes of files, marked "MoD: Bristol", were sent in error to Mark Chambers' firm, Metal Ornaments in Swadlincote, Derbys. However, when he called to ask what he should do with them, he said he was first told no-one knew, before an operator suggested he put his question into the Q&A section of their website.

Eventually, he put them back in the post marked 'return to sender' only to receive a phone call from someone at the MoD berating him for his slapdash handling of military secrets.

Mr Chambers said: "You could see that there were building lay-outs with people's names, saying who occupied offices. It's amazing really. I have a receptionist who is Russian and she said if this happened in Russia heads would roll. It's ridiculous that stuff like this goes astray."

The delivery firm that brought the containers - thought to be an MoD contractor - has since taken them back, he added.

A Ministry of Defence spokeswoman said: "We take any reports of this kind extremely seriously and we are investigating urgently. Until we have additional information about the data it would be inappropriate to comment further."

It wouldnt be England without. . . Remember that time and old woman got sent a police Heckler and Glock assault rifle!

Perhaps the metalworking firm makes "stovepipes?"

Outstanding muddling of weapons... Bet that gat has a beautiful pistol grip... :rolleyes:

If these boxes are some of those lost during the move to Bristol in 1996, can I have my personal possessions back please?

Don't worry about the files. Security didn't give a toss at the time.

Yes AA,
and don't forget the Smith & Westland rotary pistol....

Look on the bright side, at least they know where this set of classified material went unlike the hard drives, DVDs, USB sticks, laptops.....

"Top Secret Files" says the headline.

Confidential MOD Documents says the initial blurb.

Whats the betting that the files contained "Restricted" documents?

It reminds me of the time that peace demonstrators invaded ATC at a training(?) airfield many years ago (I forget which) and claimed to have gained access to secret classified documents. Subsequent photos that they had taken revealed the Met Manual which in those days was "Restricted" purely on the grounds that it was an AP.

Never let the facts get in the way of a good story!!

More to the point, it seems that it was a private delivery company and not the MOD that misdirected the mail - still can't let the truth ruin a good forces bashing story now can we :-)