Crooks used a stolen JCB Digger to smash into a supermarket and steal a cash machine thought to have contained thousands of pounds in a ram raid in Suffolk.
The cash machine was ripped from a wall during the early-morning raid at Costcutter in Old Stowmarket Road, Woolpit shortly before 3am.
Police have now launched a manhunt for the offenders who fled from the scene in a silver pick-up vehicle.
The stolen JCB Digger is believed to have been taken from a farm in Elmswell.
A Suffolk Constabulary spokesman said: “The JCB was used to damage a metal gate to (gain) entry to the garage forecourt and was then used to smash through the window of the convenience store and grab the ATM before the offenders made off with part of the cash point in a silver pick-up style vehicle.
“The rest of the cash point machine was left in the car park, minus the cash cassettes that contained an undisclosed sum of money, believed to total thousands of pounds.”
The incident activated the supermarket’s alarm and police were at the scene “within five minutes”, while the ram raid caused “substantial damage” to the supermarket, a force spokesman added.
No arrests have been made.
Officers are investigating and are urging anyone who saw either vehicle in the area in the early hours of this morning to come forward. Call police on 101.
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