A LORRY crash resulted in a surprising historical find.

Builders brought in to repair a bridge wall which was knocked down in Tonge Moor Road by an overturned lorry found a time capsule which had been sealed in the wall.

The capsule is less than 20 years old and has been covered over again for safekeeping for posterity.

John Lynch from Bolton Stone Restoration said: “We have found time capsules before and we wanted to open it up but it’s got to go back.

“That’s why it’s there, it’s got to go back as it was.”

According to a stone plaque on the bridge, the time capsule was placed there in April 2002 during renovation works and Cllr Guy Harkin laid the covering stone.

Mr Lynch said the capsule is intended to be there until the wall comes down and is being put back by him and his team exactly as it was in the bridge wall.

The capsule is believed to have been put together by a local school and contain photographs.

Mr Lynch said a member of the public had got in touch after details of the capsule were posted on Facebook but they had been involved in the creation of a capsule of letters from schoolchildren in 1991 or 1992.

The wall came down on May 13 when a heavy goods vehicle overturned in the road, trapping two men inside.

Fire crews and paramedics worked to free the two men and they were taken to Royal Bolton Hospital.

n Did you take part in the creation of this time capsule? Get in touch by emailing newsdesk@theboltonnews.co.uk or calling 01204 537271