A cash machine has been stolen in a ram raid at a petrol station in Sudbury in the early hours of this morning.

Police officers were called at 2.40am to the BP Petrol Station off the roundabout of the B1115 and Northern Road on the Chilton Industrial Estate. The business is part of the Barrett-Lee garage.

A blue BMW vehicle crashed into the petrol station shop door and two men then stole an entire ATM unit, which was empty. They then loaded it into a second BMW 4x4 vehicle and drove away.

The whole incident was caught on CCTV.

A 27-year-old man has this afternoon been arrested in Essex on suspicion of burglary, after the cash machine was discovered in Maldon.

He will be taken into custody in Essex where he will be interviewed in connection with the raid.

Officers remain at the scene and a cordon has been put in place.

The same petrol station had previously been hit in a ram raid in May 2005, when a silver Freelander was driven through the glass window and an empty cash machine was taken.

The incident follows a ram raid in March last year when a cash machine was taken from the Strikes Bowling Alley, which is behind the BP garage.

Simon Barrett, managing director of Barrett-Lee, said he was alerted to the incident when the alarm was raised just after 2.20am.

He told the EADT the two men had smashed in the front door and window of the shop before knocking the cash machine from the bolts holding it down.

He said: “They didn’t take anything apart from the cash machine which is always left open and empty overnight.

“However they have done a lot of damage to the shop front and the stock.

“It will cost several thousand pounds to repair and as we will have to be closed for a couple of days, it will also cost us through loss of trade.

“The annoying thing is that there’s so much damage and they haven’t even got anything out of it.”

Detectives are appealing for witnesses and are making enquiries into the incident.

Anyone who may have seen any suspicious activity in the area around this time or anyone with information about those involved is asked to call Suffolk Police on 101, quoting CAD number 16 of today, Tuesday 9. Alternatively they can call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.