Berlin - Scrap yard workers in the German town of Henningsdorf couldn't believe their eyes when they found a safe containing 170,000 euros (222,500 dollars) which had been dumped on the scrap heap, a newspaper reported Friday.

The safe arrived as part of a weekly lorry load of scrap metal from Berlin, according to the daily Henningsdorfer Generalanzeiger.

Employees made the discovery on January 14, when they opened the discarded safe and piles of cash fluttered out.

Police confirmed the find Thursday, after ruling out suspicions that the safe had been stolen.

It turned out that the safe originated from Berlin's Postbank, and had been overlooked by a member of staff, who should have emptied it during a branch relocation.

After realising that the cash was missing, Postbank spokesman Ralf Palm said, "all conceivable measures were taken to recover the money."

When the bank made inquiries with the disposal company, they were told that the safe had already been shipped out of the country.

It was "stroke of luck," Palm said, that the safe popped up on Henningdorf scrap yard. (dpa)