Modern Mysteries

MI6 building blueprints 'lost' in major blunder

By T.K. Randall
December 27, 2019

Image: Westminster Palace
Credit: David Castor / (PD) In a blunder that is a lot more Johnny English than James Bond, detailed blueprints for the building that serves as the headquarters for Britain's Secret Intelligence Service MI6 have been completely mislaid along with up to 100 other sensitive documents.

The cock-up occurred while renovation work was being carried out on the building.

The documents, which included an internal floor plan along with the location of the security alarms, were reportedly stored in a secure room accessible by a limited number of personnel.

Although some of the files were recovered, a significant number remain unaccounted for.The firm responsible for carrying out the work - Balfour Beatty - has since been sacked.

"All the construction workers were kept in isolation," a source told The Sun. "To lose such sensitive documents was grossly irresponsible. They showed the layout of the building and specifically where alarms and other security measures were."

"The documents would be gold dust to any enemy agents or terrorists."

As things stand however, it does not appear as though any nefarious third parties were involved.

Source: Telegraph

Tags: MI6