Shopkeepers left shocked and stunned following ram raid at Sudbury bank
The damage to the Halifax Bank, in North Street, Sudbury. Picture: RUSSELL COOK - Credit: Archant
A community has been left shocked following a bank raid in the centre of Sudbury.
Raiders used a sledgehammer to smash the security glass of the Halifax bank in North Street, Sudbury, at about 2.35am.
They stole a large metal deposit box, which they attached to the rear of a van before driving away at speed in the direction of Bulmer.
It is thought that the stolen box was empty.
Two of the vehicles used in the raid, one of which was reported stolen from Ipswich on Friday, were later found abandoned and burnt out in Finch Hill, Bulmer in Essex.
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Nobody was injured as a result of the incident but it left shopkeepers shocked.
Kirsty Habel, a sales consultant at Thomas Cook, said: “I parked in the car park nearby and when I got near the shop I looked to my right and could not believe what I saw.
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“There was glass everywhere; all over the street and pavement and I could see it all glistening in the sunlight.
“There was a police car and forensic officers on site and they were there for most of the morning.
“It’s massive shock and you do not expect these sort of things happening in Sudbury and I did not expect to see that when I came to work this morning.”
Peter Lumsden, the owner of another shop nearby, said that the window of the bank had been broken some four weeks ago and added: “Police cordoned off quite a big area of the street and there was a lot of glass in the road right across from one side to the other.
“Raids like this seem to be happening in so many places and small towns and it is a worry.”
Christy Olehno, the manageress at Phone Experts, said: “It’s so crazy that something like this has happened and when I arrived to work police were here.”
The suspects are described as three white men who were wearing hooded tops.
One of the men was seen carrying a large sledgehammer. The burnt out vehicles are described as a white Mercedes Sprinter van and a dark coloured Audi A5 saloon car.
Anybody who witnessed the burglary or who saw any suspicious behaviour is asked to call West CID on 101, quoting reference 40750/18. Alternatively, people can call the charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
